Alberta Counts Ballots by Hand After Vote on Leaving Canada
Albertans voted in a provincial referendum that asked whether Alberta should remain a province of Canada or start the legal process toward a binding vote on separating. More than 1.35 million people, 43.1% of eligible voters, had voted before polling day, and every ballot is counted by hand.
Alberta's referendum on whether to stay in Canada or start down the legal road toward a binding vote on leaving it has been held, and Elections Alberta, the province's independent election office, is counting the ballots by hand.
The separation question was the 10th of 10 on the ballot and offered two choices: that Alberta should remain a province of Canada, or that the provincial government "should commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada." A win for the second option would not by itself take Alberta out of Canada.
More than 1.35 million people voted early or by mail, 43.1% of eligible voters. Delays kept the last voting places open until at least 10 p.m. local time, midnight Eastern, and results are posted only after every voting place is confirmed closed. Official results are due October 29.
Premier Danielle Smith said she voted to remain. Prime Minister Mark Carney campaigned in Alberta for the remain side.
Edmonton, Alberta — Albertans voted in a referendum on whether their province should remain part of Canada or begin the constitutional process toward a binding vote on separating, and the province's election office began counting the ballots by hand.
What the question asked
The separation question was the last of 10 on the ballot and was not a yes-or-no question. The first option was that Alberta should remain a province of Canada. The second was that "the Government of Alberta should commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada." A win for the second option would not itself take Alberta out of Canada; it would start the process toward a second, binding vote.
The other nine questions were yes-or-no. Four dealt with immigration, including whether the province should take more control of immigration and charge fees to some temporary residents for health care and education, and a fifth asked whether voters should have to show proof of citizenship in provincial elections. Four asked whether Alberta should work with other provinces on constitutional changes, among them abolishing the federal Senate and letting provinces choose some judges.
How the count works
Elections Alberta said that 837,791 people voted in person during the five days of advance voting and 519,082 voted by mail-in special ballot, for a total of 1,356,873, or 43.1% of eligible voters. Voting places were scheduled to close at 8 p.m. local time, 10 p.m. Eastern, but the office said delays earlier in the day meant the last one would close no earlier than 10 p.m. local time, midnight Eastern. Results are posted only after every voting place in the province is confirmed closed.
All ballots are counted by hand, the separation question first and then the other nine in order. Unofficial results are due within 48 hours of the close of voting, and official results on October 29.
Smith and Carney
Premier Danielle Smith called the referendum after hundreds of thousands of Albertans signed petitions for and against staying in Canada. She said she voted to remain. "I do think Canada is working better than it ever has," she told CBC News before the vote. She asked Albertans to vote yes on the other nine questions to give her a mandate to bargain with Ottawa.
Prime Minister Mark Carney campaigned in Alberta for the remain side and told Albertans to reject the other nine questions. "(Say) no to the nine," he told a crowd in Calgary. At a joint stop with Smith in Red Deer, he described their relationship as "tough collaboration."