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WATCH LIVE | Alberta referendum special coverage

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LIVE | Alberta referendum night coverage

Do we stay or go? At the crux of it, that’s the question Albertans have been grappling with for much of 2026 and soon, they will learn how their friends and neighbours feel.

The historic Alberta referendum asks the province’s voters 10 questions that could change the course of not just the Prairie province, but also Canada.

While a focus of the Oct. 19 date has been on the question of whether Alberta should hold a second, binding referendum on separating from Canada, there are nine other questions Premier Danielle Smith is putting to residents.

Elections Alberta says 1,356,873 people voted in last week’s advanced polls or by a special mail-in ballot — a significant increase over the roughly 810,000 who voted using those methods in the 2023 provincial election.

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The use of special ballots increased tenfold in the referendum compared to that election, with a total of 519,082 mail-in ballots received by Elections Alberta by the cut-off.

Click to play video: 'Alberta referendum: Record turnout projected as voting day arrives'
Alberta referendum: Record turnout projected as voting day arrives

The vote, announced Feb. 19, initially contained nine questions to do with immigration and possible changes to Canada’s Constitution. Then on May 21, Smith announced a 10th question on separation was being added.

The vote comes just days after the devastating fire at CFB Wainwright that left four dead and dozens more injured in a disaster that Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday said has Canadians “united in grief.”

Just five people were waiting for polls to open at the Wainwright Communiplex at 9 a.m. local time on Monday. The atmosphere was subdued as the doors opened, and a steady trickle of people filed in through the morning.

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Many that Global News spoke to said it was difficult to focus on the referendum with the backdrop of the military tragedy, but said it was important to vote.

“We need change in Alberta. I want things to change for my kids. But there are problems with both options,” said local mother Annette Nesbitt, who was there to vote with her 20-year-old son Raeden.

Both were voting to remain.

“I’m proud to be Canadian, I want to stay in Canada. It’s just that there are things that need to change. But is separation the solution? I don’t know,” Nesbitt said.

“I’ve got five kids. I want a better province for them.”

Casey Edkins was at the Communiplex with friend Tshanna Lenz, who’d voted to remain, but said he wasn’t going to vote himself.

“I don’t know enough about it, I’m not political, so I’m staying out of it.”

How do I watch the results?

Global News has in-depth, up-to-the-minute team coverage from across Alberta on both broadcast and streaming online.

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Anchors Dallas Flexhaug and Carole Anne Devaney are joined by veteran political reporter and Ottawa bureau chief David Akin for results analysis, along with insights from a political panel hosted by anchor Blake Lough.

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Reporters on the ground in several Alberta communities are providing updates and interviews.

From 8 p.m. MT to midnight, our Decision Alberta Referendum 2026 coverage is airing online at the top of this post, as well as on YouTube and our Global TV app that is available on streaming services Prime Video, Apple TV, Roku, and select smart TVs.

Starting at 9 p.m., simultaneous coverage is also airing live on all Global News stations in Alberta.

How do I vote?

More than 1,400 polling stations opened across Alberta on Monday, although several locations will remain open later than expected after delays prevented them from opening on time.

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Regular voting hours at all other locations are from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Those still in line at closing time are asked to remain there, as they will be allowed to vote.

The list of the voting locations that will have extended hours can be viewed here.

Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure authorized extended hours at the affected locations to ensure voters receive the full advertised hours of service.

While voters could cast their ballot at any advance voting location in their electoral division, on election day they must vote at their assigned voting location within their electoral division. Electors cannot vote outside their electoral division.

Voters can search on Elections Alberta’s website to find out where their polling station is. Election Day voting locations are most commonly in schools, churches, community halls, and other public buildings.

Elections Alberta encourages voters to read and familiarize themselves with all 10 questions (which can be reviewed here) before reaching the ballot box.

There are 10 ballots, in different colours for easy identification. Voters can mark some of them, all of them or none of them.

The ballots will go into separate boxes to make them easier to count and lessen the chances of a mistake spoiling one long ballot.

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Elections Alberta is expecting a record turnout of between 80 and 85 per cent of the province’s nearly three million electors.

Voters have as much time as they need to fill in the ballots, but officials estimate it will take most people about two minutes.

Can I vote during work hours?

The Election Act requires employers to provide employees with paid time off (three consecutive, non-work hours) to vote during either one of the advance voting days or on Oct. 19.

Employers are not allowed to penalize staff for taking time to vote.

Elections Alberta notes that the employer retains the right to determine when to give the employee time off — whether it was on one of the days of advance voting or on Election Day.

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What identification is needed?

You’ll need one government-issued ID with your correct name, current address and photo, such as a driver’s licence. You can use two pieces of ID that both have your full name, with one showing your current address.

There are 50 forms of acceptable ID listed on Elections Alberta’s website that can be one of those two pieces, from a library card or a hunting licence to a bank statement or vehicle registration.

Elections Alberta says it will accept expired forms of ID, including a certificate of Indian Status Card, provided it still has the correct name.

Another option, in special circumstances, is to bring an attestation form signed by an authorized person such as a First Nation band manager or a student housing staffer.

The provincial agency said your “Where to Vote” card is not required to vote and cannot be used as identification, but it will speed up the voting process.

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How long before I know the results?

By law, the votes need to be counted by hand within 48 hours.

Question 10 — about separation — will be counted first.

Click to play video: 'Why did the Smith government add question #10 to the Alberta Referendum ballot?'
Why did the Smith government add question #10 to the Alberta Referendum ballot?

Officials say early results are to be released sometime after 8 p.m. Monday — but only once the final ballot is cast and all polling stations are closed — with the final count announced in the early hours Tuesday.

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GlobalNews.ca staff will be working overnight to bring you the latest results as they are released.

The results of the other nine questions should be completed and announced by Wednesday. Those ballots will be counted in order from question one to nine.

The count timelines will depend on voting location closing times and voter turnout.

For more information, visit Elections Alberta’s website. 

With files from Global New’s Alex Boutilier and The Canadian Press

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