Elections Alberta prepares for advance voting and shares updates on special ballots

Posted on October 15, 2026 by Ryan Dahlman

By Patrick Wachter
Southern Alberta Newspapers

Elections Alberta is preparing for the upcoming vote with advance polls running Oct. 13-17 and Election Day on Oct. 19.

Media outlets will not be permitted inside voting stations during the referendum. Elections Alberta says the large number of ballot questions will require extra time for voters to complete ballots, and stopping to obtain consent from individuals inside the voting stations would create delays. Media representatives will be able to film or take photos outside voting locations and interview Elections Alberta staff members.

To date, officials have processed nearly 221,000 completed special ballot packages. However, more than 3,000 have been returned with errors.

More than 2,500 packages contained declaration problems, such as missing signatures, incomplete information, omitted declarations, or incorrect dates. Nearly 500 had identification issues. Elections Alberta contacted these voters to request corrected declarations and valid identification by email so their ballots can be verified and counted.

Voters with questions can contact the Elections Alberta Service Centre at 1-877-422-8683. The service line is open 8:15 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays, 8:15 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends and 8:15 a.m. to 8 p.m. on voting days. Officials acknowledged voter frustration regarding extra correction steps and urged the public to treat local election workers with kindness.

Recruitment efforts have drawn more than 65,500 applications, resulting in 41,000 hired election officers. While many areas are fully staffed, certain rural and sparsely populated electoral divisions still require qualified applicants. Hiring will continue until voting concludes.

The voting process will closely resemble a provincial general election, though voters will receive 10 ballots and deposit them into 10 colour-coded and numbered ballot boxes that correspond to each question.

Voters must cast ballots within their home electoral division during advance voting, or at their assigned location on Election Day. Locations can be confirmed using the Elections Alberta Where to Vote tool.