Question 10 · Monday, October 19, 2026
Choose Option 1.Alberta stays Forever Canadian.
Question 10 is not a yes-or-no question — you choose one of two options. Option 1 keeps Alberta a province of Canada. Mark it.
Five days, October 13 to 17, 9:00 am to 8:00 pm, at any advance voting place in your electoral division.
Should Alberta remain a province of Canada, or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?
Alberta should remain a province of Canada.
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.
Both options are quoted word for word, in the order Elections Alberta lists them. The mark is ours.
The one thing we need from you today
How are you voting?
Tell us, and we will show you what is left to do. If mail-in packages start going missing, answers like yours are how anyone finds out in time.
Answering changes nothing about how you vote, and signs you up for nothing.
The people most likely to miss this vote are the ones we can’t email.
Your feed reaches them. These are finished and free to take — the marked ballot, the dates, a code that opens this page, and the line the law requires are already on them.
Nothing to fill in. Download one, post it, and leave it up until October 19.
Pick a design
Caption, ready to paste
Alberta votes on Question 10 on Monday, October 19. It is not a yes-or-no question — there are two options, and Option 1 keeps Alberta a province of Canada. Vote early: advance voting runs October 13 to 17, at any advance voting place in your electoral division. #Question10 #ChooseOption1 #ChooseUnity #ForeverCanadian
Vote early. Do not plan on voting in a line on October 19.
Elections Alberta is expecting a turnout no Alberta election has seen in ninety years, and every voter has ten separate ballots to mark. Referendum day is going to be slow. Advance voting gives you five days instead of one, at any advance voting place in your electoral division.
- 85%
- The turnout Elections Alberta expects
- 10
- Separate ballots you mark
- 2 hours
- What Albertans queued last October
- 5 days
- Of advance voting, not one
Why the lines will be long
Ten ballots each. You mark ten separate numbered ballots, not one.
You can no longer vote anywhere. Vote-enabling tabulators are not being used, so you must vote in the electoral division where you live.
Vouching is gone. Every voter proves their own name and address at the desk.
Elections Alberta needs about 60,000 workers to run the day — the largest recruitment in the province’s history.
Voting early leaves you a second chance
If something stops you at an advance voting place — say you forgot your ID — you can go back on another day, or vote on October 19. Leave it to October 19 and there is no other day.
Elections Alberta’s Where to Vote tool shows your advance voting places. They are also mailing every voter a Where to Vote card.
What does Question 10 actually ask?
Should Alberta remain a province of Canada, or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?
Reproduced from Elections Alberta. If this page and Elections Alberta ever disagree, Elections Alberta is right. Read it on elections.ab.ca (opens elections.ab.ca in a new tab)
In plain words
It asks whether the government should start the legal steps needed to hold a future, binding vote on separation.
It is not a yes-or-no question. You choose one of two options.
The two choices
These are the two options, in the order Elections Alberta lists them.
Option 1
Mark this oneAlberta should remain a province of Canada.
Alberta stays a province.
Option 2
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.
The government starts the legal process.
Why Option 1
What the other box does
Option 2 asks the government to begin the steps required under the Canadian Constitution toward a separate, binding referendum on separating.
What that sets in motion
A process that runs through the courts and Ottawa, with the question left open the whole time. The steps below are the ballot’s own wording, not our summary.
Our position
Alberta’s place is in Canada. Option 1 is the only box on the ballot that says so, and the only one that settles the question rather than extending it.
How far could this vote actually go?
Step 1 · You are here
You answer Question 10
On October 19, 2026 — or earlier, by mail or at advance voting.
Step 2
The result is reported
Elections Alberta counts the ballots and publishes a result for each of the ten questions.
Step 3
The legal process
If Option 2 is chosen, it asks the government to begin the steps required under the Canadian Constitution.
Step 4
A separate, binding referendum
The question’s own wording says a binding provincial referendum on separating would be a later, separate vote.
Dates that matter
- October 9
- Mail your package back byCanada Post’s recommendation, not a legal deadline
- October 13–17
- Advance voting9:00 am to 8:00 pm, at any advance voting place in your electoral division
- October 16
- Elections Alberta must have received your mailed-in packageBefore 5:00 pm, in Edmonton
- October 19
- Referendum dayAt your assigned voting place, 9:00 am to 8:00 pm, if you haven’t already voted
Elections Alberta’s Where to Vote tool shows your advance voting places and your assigned voting place for referendum day. They are also mailing every voter a Where to Vote card.
How do I vote in person?
Two things decide whether it goes smoothly: going to the right place, and bringing the right ID.
Advance voting: October 13 to 17, 9:00 am to 8:00 pm, at any advance voting place in your electoral division.
Referendum day: October 19, 9:00 am to 8:00 pm, at your assigned voting place and nowhere else.
You must vote in the electoral division where you live. You can no longer vote anywhere in the province.
Bring ID: an Alberta driver’s licence or ID card showing your current address, or two pieces of ID with your name where one shows your address. Vouching is no longer accepted, and Elections Alberta lists more than 50 documents that work.
Not registered, or moved since you last registered? You can register at the voting place: you fill in a declaration and show ID.
Elections Alberta is mailing every voter a Where to Vote card. Their Where to Vote tool gives you the same answer today.
Elections Alberta — the ID you can use (opens elections.ab.ca in a new tab)
First, check that you are registered
If you have moved or changed your name since you last registered, Elections Alberta says you need to re-register. Checking takes about a minute, and you can register or update your address at the same time. Check your registration (opens voterlink.ab.ca in a new tab)
Elections Alberta’s Where to Vote tool shows your advance voting places and your assigned voting place for referendum day. They are also mailing every voter a Where to Vote card.
Already have a mail-in package? Finish it.
Applications closed on September 25. If you asked for a package before then, here is what is left to do.
From September 1
Your package arrives
It holds your ballots, a grey envelope, a purple return envelope, a declaration to sign, a list of accepted ID, and instructions. Elections Alberta gives you a link to track the request when you apply — use it. If the request stalls, or nothing arrives about a week after you applied, phone them at 1-877-672-1365.
Before 5:00 pm, October 16
Mail it back
Ballot in the grey envelope. Grey envelope, signed declaration and a copy of your ID in the purple envelope. Then post it — early.
About the line on the declaration that says you cannot vote in person
Some packages mailed from September 1 carry a declaration with a line that alarmed people. You do not have to be unable to vote in person, and you can strike the line out.
The line on the form
Elections Alberta’s own words
Electors may cross out the statement “I declare that I am unable to vote at an advance voting place or a voting place on Election Day” and complete the rest of the declaration, and Elections Alberta will accept it.
It is left over from an older version of the Election Act, when you needed a reason to vote by mail. That requirement is gone — anyone can request a mail-in ballot, no reason needed — but the sentence stayed on the form.
Elections Alberta has said you may cross that line out, sign the rest of the declaration as normal, and they will accept it. They are also removing the line from packages that had not yet been sent.
So: if the line is on your declaration, strike it through, then fill in and sign everything else. Do not leave the declaration unsigned, and do not throw the package away.
Elections Alberta said this on September 3, 2026, in a news release about the application deadline. At the time of writing it is the only place on their website that says it — none of their voter-facing pages mention it. Read the release on elections.ab.ca (opens elections.ab.ca in a new tab)
What goes inside what
Your ballot
Mark your choice on the ballot that comes in your package.
Grey envelope A
The ballot goes in here, on its own. Nothing else in this one.
Purple envelope B
Envelope A, your signed declaration, and a copy of your ID all go in here. This is the envelope you mail.
October 16 is an arrival deadline, not a postmark deadline
Elections Alberta has to have your package in Edmonton before 5:00 pm that Friday. Canada Post recommends mailing it by October 9. Packages from remote areas and from outside Canada take longer again.
You cannot drop it off
Returning offices will not accept completed special ballot packages. It has to travel by mail to Elections Alberta in Edmonton.
Send a copy of your ID, never the original
An Alberta driver’s licence or ID card showing your current address, or two pieces of ID with your name where one shows your address. Vouching is no longer accepted, and Elections Alberta lists more than 50 documents that work.
Count your ballots when the package arrives
There should be ten. The ballots are glued at the top like a notepad and a few electors have reported pages missing. Vote-by-mail ballots are all white, so a short set does not give itself away by a missing colour — count them. If any are absent, phone Elections Alberta at 1-877-672-1365 and they will send a complete set. Global News — some packages arrived with ballots missing (opens in a new tab)
Can I work the referendum?
Yes. Elections Alberta needs about 60,000 people to run it. These are paid, temporary jobs, not volunteer shifts.
You need to be 16 or older and allowed to work in Canada. Some roles need you to be 18.
You need to pass a criminal record check.
You sign an oath to stay non-partisan, and you step back from political activity while you are employed.
The work runs across advance voting (October 13 to 17), referendum day (October 19) and the count (October 19 to 21).
Hiring closes October 10, and you cannot apply twice — so pick every role you would take.
The oath is the point
Election officers work for Elections Alberta, not for any side. Everyone who hands out and counts ballots signs the same promise, and that is a large part of why the count can be trusted.
The application is on Elections Alberta’s website, not ours.
Questions people ask
Cross that line out and sign the rest. It is leftover wording from an older law and Elections Alberta has said in writing that they will accept declarations with it struck through. You do not need a reason to vote by mail.
Canadian citizens who are 18 or older on referendum day and who ordinarily live in Alberta. Elections Alberta has the full rule, including what "ordinarily live" means if you have moved.
This page covers Question 10 only. There are ten questions on the ballot, and Elections Alberta publishes all of them.
Each question is printed on its own separate, numbered ballot, so you decide question by question.
Watch your mail. Elections Alberta started sending packages on September 1; you fill yours in after it arrives and return it by mail. They also give you a link to track the request: by email if you applied with an email address, or on the closing screen if you applied by phone, so screenshot it. It shows whether your request has been received, processed and sent, and later whether your completed package got back to them. If it is not moving, phone them at 1-877-672-1365.
Yes. If you don’t think your package will arrive in time, you can vote at any advance voting place in your electoral division from October 13 to 17. You are then marked as having voted, and a package that turns up later is rejected. Or, if Elections Alberta hasn’t marked your package received by 5:00 pm on Sunday, October 18, you can vote at your assigned voting place on October 19. Your tracking link shows which applies to you.
Vote in person. Advance voting runs October 13 to 17, 9:00 am to 8:00 pm, at any advance voting place in your electoral division. On October 19 you can vote only at your assigned voting place, 9:00 am to 8:00 pm. Elections Alberta’s Where to Vote tool shows both.
No. Forever Canadian made it. Every fact on it links to Elections Alberta, and theirs is the page that counts.
Still have a question? Call Elections Alberta.
They run the referendum, and they are the official answer to every question about your ballot. This page is not.
First, check that you are registered
If you have moved or changed your name since you last registered, Elections Alberta says you need to re-register. Checking takes about a minute, and you can register or update your address at the same time.
Check your registration (opens voterlink.ab.ca in a new tab)voterlink.ab.ca is Elections Alberta’s registration portal, not ours. Elections Alberta — register to vote (opens elections.ab.ca in a new tab)
Referendum questions
Monday to Friday, 8:15 am to 8:00 pm
Saturday and Sunday, 8:15 am to 6:00 pm
Voting days, 8:15 am to 8:00 pm
Special ballot questions
Use this line for anything about your package: it has not arrived, a ballot is missing, or you are not sure your application went through.
- info@elections.ab.ca
- Website
- elections.ab.ca (opens elections.ab.ca in a new tab)
- Main office
- Suite 100, 11510 Kingsway NW, Edmonton, Alberta T5G 2Y5
- Office hours
- Monday to Friday, 8:15 am to 12 noon and 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm
- Telephone
- 780-427-7191
- Fax
- 780-422-2900
Elsewhere in Alberta, call toll free: dial 310-0000, then 780-427-7191
Where this comes from
This page was made by Forever Canadian. It is not an Elections Alberta page, and we are not affiliated with Elections Alberta.
If anything here disagrees with Elections Alberta, Elections Alberta is right. Checked on September 26, 2026.
- Elections Alberta — the referendum and all ten questions (opens elections.ab.ca in a new tab)
- Elections Alberta — historical results, and the turnout record (opens elections.ab.ca in a new tab)
- Elections Alberta — register to vote, or check your registration (opens elections.ab.ca in a new tab)
- Elections Alberta — request a special ballot (opens elections.ab.ca in a new tab)
- Elections Alberta — the special ballot application form (opens elections.ab.ca in a new tab)
- Elections Alberta — the September 25 application deadline (opens elections.ab.ca in a new tab)
- Elections Alberta — what changed about voting this time (opens elections.ab.ca in a new tab)
- Elections Alberta — who can vote (opens elections.ab.ca in a new tab)
- Elections Alberta — ID you can use (opens elections.ab.ca in a new tab)
- Elections Alberta — where do I vote? (opens elections.ab.ca in a new tab)
- Elections Alberta — special ballot deadlines, and voting in person (opens elections.ab.ca in a new tab)
- Elections Alberta — referendum information updates, with Canada Post’s mailing advice (opens elections.ab.ca in a new tab)
- Elections Alberta — referendum election officer roles (opens elections.ab.ca in a new tab)