As promised, Elections Alberta delivered on Thursday the official results of the province’s Oct. 19 referendum on immigration, constitutional reform and separation. According to the results, 70.4 per cent of Albertans cast ballots for Question 5, on requiring election voters to provide proof of citizenship, and Question 10, on the province separating from Canada. These two questions received the highest participation. Officially, 74.95 per cent of Albertans voted for their province to remain a part of the country. On the other nine questions, the majority of Albertans voted in support of the Alberta government making a number of immigration-related changes and against their government seeking constitutional reform. Margins ranged from 1.78 per cent — seen on Question 4 gauging support for the Alberta government charging a fee to residents without permanent immigration status for health and education system access — to 8.6 per cent, as seen on Question 5. In total, 22.1 million ballots were cast across the 10 questions. More than a third were cast during the advance voting period, while roughly 30 per cent were cast on Election Day and by special ballot. Alberta has 3.1 million eligible voters. Prior to the referendum, Elections Alberta estimated voter turnout could be as high as 80 per cent. The highest voter turnout Alberta has ever counted was 81.8 per cent in the 1935 general election. The smallest was 40.6 per cent in 2008. Voter turnout in Alberta’s 2023 general election came in at 60.5 per cent. Detailed results are available online.
