EDMONTON — More than 1.35 million Albertans have cast advance votes or submitted special ballots ahead of Monday’s Alberta referendum, with preliminary turnout figures showing a significant increase compared with the 2023 provincial election.Elections Alberta released preliminary figures Sunday showing 1,356,873 votes had been cast through advance voting and special ballots ahead of the Oct. 19 referendum.That represents 43.1% of the province’s 3.15 million eligible electors, compared with 27.5% turnout through advance voting and special ballots during the 2023 provincial general election.The referendum figures include 837,791 votes cast at advance voting locations and 519,082 special ballots, which include mail-in voting.In comparison, 758,637 Albertans voted in advance during the 2023 election, while 51,351 special ballots were recorded. The combined total was 809,988 votes..Elections Alberta cautioned that the special ballot figures from 2023 are not directly comparable with those from the referendum because special ballots were not available to all eligible electors in 2023 and were not required to be returned by mail.Eligible voters who have not already voted can cast their ballots Monday, Oct. 19, when voting locations will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.Electors must vote at their assigned voting location on election day. Voters can find their location using the Where to Vote card mailed to their residence, the Elections Alberta website or its online voting-location map.Individuals must bring accepted identification proving their identity and current physical address. Where to Vote cards are not accepted as identification, although they can help election workers direct voters to the correct area.Electors who are not registered can register at their assigned voting location on election day, provided they meet the eligibility requirements and present accepted identification.
