Alberta voters reject provincial separation by wide margin

Posted on October 20, 2026 by Ryan Dahlman

By Trevor Busch
Commentator/Courier
editor@tabertimes.com

The votes have all been cast in Alberta’s Oct. 19 referendum, and while some polls were still to report as of press deadline, it remains clear that Albertans have rejected the idea of the province separating from Canada by a resounding 75.3 per cent.

In terms of interest among the electorate, standing head and shoulders above the rest was Question 10 (i.e. should Alberta separate from Canada) which as of press deadline saw 1,412,272 total votes to remain versus 458,923 opting for a binding referendum, with the total remain vote coming in at 75.3 per cent versus 24.6 per cent in favour of a binding referendum.

Locally in Taber-Warner, and in general across many rural parts of the province, Monday’s vote was a much different story with the result significantly tighter than the province as a whole. With 91 per cent of voting locations reporting as of press deadline, there were 18,275 total votes cast, with 9,785 voting to remain (53.5 per cent) followed closely by 8,490 who opted for a binding referendum (46.4 per cent).

In terms of Questions 1-9, which dealt with immigration and constitutional issues, results in the province as a whole for the most part came in positively in the low-to-high 50 per cent range. However, it was again a question of two Albertas with urban versus rural, as results for Taber-Warner registered in the low-to-high 70 per cent range.

On Question 1 (i.e. taking increased control over immigration) as of deadline, Albertans voted 54.8 per cent in favour, with 45.1 per cent voting no. In Taber-Warner, 78.5 per cent voted in favour, with 21.4 per cent voting no.

On Question 2 (i.e. only citizens eligible for programs) as of deadline, Albertans voted 56.4 per cent in favour, with 43.6 per cent voting no. In Taber-Warner, 76 per cent voted in favour, with 23.9 per cent voting no.

On Question 3 (i.e. 12 month residency requirement) as of deadline, Albertans voted 58.2 per cent in favour, with 41.7 per cent voting no. In Taber-Warner, 76.7 per cent voted in favour, with 23.2 per cent voting no.

On Question 4 (i.e. charging fee to non-residents) as of deadline, Albertans voted 57.3 per cent in favour, with 42.5 per cent voting no. In Taber-Warner, 75 per cent voted in favour, with 24.9 per cent voting no.

On Question 5 (i.e. proof of citizenship) as of deadline, Albertans voted 63.5 per cent in favour, with 36.4 per cent voting no. In Taber-Warner, 81.3 per cent voted in favour, with 18.6 per cent voting no.

On Question 6 (i.e. provincial court appointments) as of deadline, Albertans voted 51.6 per cent in favour, with 48.3 per cent voting no. In Taber-Warner, 73.5 per cent voted in favour, with 26.4 per cent voting no.

On Question 7 (i.e. abolishing federal Senate) as of deadline, Albertans voted 53.3 per cent in favour, with 46.6 per cent voting no. In Taber-Warner, 76.2 per cent voted in favour, with 23.7 per cent voting no.

On Question 8 (i.e. opting out of federal programs) as of deadline, Albertans voted 48.6 per cent in favour, with 51.3 per cent voting no. In Taber-Warner, 72.4 per cent voted in favour, with 21.4 per cent voting no.

On Question 9 (i.e. provincial laws supersede federal) as of deadline, Albertans voted 50.6 per cent in favour, with 49.3 per cent voting no. In Taber-Warner, 75.8 per cent voted in favour, with 24.2 per cent voting no.

As of our deadline on Oct. 20, Elections Alberta was reporting 11,035,509 valid votes had been cast across all 10 questions with 83 per cent of voting locations reporting. On Referendum Day (or Election Day as referenced by Elections Alberta) 4,193,569 votes were cast (37.9 per cent of total). In Advance Voting, 5,727,513 votes were cast (51.8 per cent), Mobile Voting saw 148,657 votes cast (1.3 per cent) while Special Ballots received totalled 971,559 (8.8 per cent).

According to Elections Alberta, extended hours impacted unofficial results reporting times.

In the Taber-Warner riding, voting hours were extended at several locations for a short period, including Foremost Community Hall (8:11 p.m.), Bow Island Legion (8:14 p.m.), and Taber Christian Elementary School (8:15 p.m.).

Official results are expected from Elections Alberta by Thursday, Oct. 29.