Thousands of Alberta Referendum Mail-In Ballots Rejected Due to Errors: Elections Alberta

Alberta referendum mail-in special ballots are seen in Calgary, on Sept. 24, 2026. The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh

More than 3,000 mail-in ballots for Alberta’s provincial referendum have been rejected as invalid due to errors, according to Elections Alberta.

Ballots that have been found invalid include those with missing declaration forms or errors or problems with identification, according to the agency, which noted there is still time to submit the correct information via email.

Alberta’s upcoming Oct. 19 provincial referendum asks voters a series of 10 questions including on giving the province more authority on immigration and judicial appointments, as well as whether Alberta should begin the process to hold a legally binding referendum on separation from Canada.

Mail-in voting opened Sept. 1, with voters able to request a mail-in ballot until Sept. 25.

The deadline to request a ballot had initially been Oct. 9 but the agency moved it up with the stated intention of allowing voters time to complete and return the ballots by the Oct. 16 deadline.

Elections Alberta says it has already verified roughly one-third of more than 652,000 ballot packages that were sent out to voters and noted that approximately two-thirds of the required 60,000 extra staff needed for the referendum have been hired.

The volume of mail-in voting for the referendum already far exceeds Alberta’s last provincial election held in 2023, which saw approximately 60,000 mail-in ballots requested.

The agency has said it expects turnout for the upcoming referendum to reach as high as 85 percent.

While the referendum itself will be held Oct. 19, advance voting will also open Oct. 13 to 17. Results for all questions on the referendum are non-binding, but Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province will respect the decisions of voters, including on the separation question.

Smith herself has advocated for Alberta to remain in Canada.

The Canadian Press, Jason Antonio, and William Hetherington contributed to this report.