Alberta’s referendum night will run later than planned. Elections Alberta said 106 voting places that opened late on Monday have had their hours extended, and unofficial results will be held until every voting place in the province is confirmed closed.
Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure authorised the extensions under the Election Act so affected voters receive their full advertised voting hours. Most of the affected locations are in Calgary and Edmonton: Westminster School in Edmonton-Glenora is the last to close, at 10:00 p.m. MT, followed by Constable Daniel Woodall School in Edmonton-South West at 9:20 p.m. MT. Unaffected places closed at 8:00 p.m. MT.
Once results begin posting, Question 10 — whether Alberta should remain in Canada or begin a legal process toward a binding separation referendum — will be reported first, followed by Questions 1 through 9. Official results are scheduled for October 29.
Turnout was already historic before election day: 1,356,873 advance and special ballots, representing 43.1 per cent of eligible voters, were cast before Monday on the 10-question ballot — a measure of how deeply the vote has engaged the province.
