Residents of the Lesser Slave Lake region who expect to be away or unable to vote in person during Alberta’s Oct. 19 referendum can now apply for a special ballot, allowing them to vote by mail.
The option may be particularly useful for residents who work rotational jobs, attend school outside the region, travel during the election period or face challenges reaching a polling station.
Special ballots allow eligible Albertans to vote without attending an advance polling station or voting in person on referendum day. While mail-in voting numbers for the Lesser Slave Lake region are not available, thousands of Albertans use the option during elections. In the 2023 provincial election, 51,351 voters cast ballots through the special ballot system, accounting for nearly three per cent of all valid ballots.
The option can be especially relevant in rural and northern regions, where communities are spread over large geographic areas and some residents work away from home in industries such as oil and gas, forestry and other resource sectors.
However, there is no public data showing exactly how many Alberta voters are away from their home communities.
Elections Alberta identifies people who are away from their electoral division, live in remote areas or face barriers accessing voting locations as among those who may benefit from special ballots.
Albertans will also have the option to vote during advance voting or in person on referendum day at their assigned voting location.
The Oct. 19 referendum will ask Albertans to vote on 10 questions covering issues including immigration, eligibility for provincially funded programs, voting requirements, constitutional changes and Alberta’s future relationship with Canada. One question asks whether Alberta should remain a province of Canada or should begin the legal process required to hold a future binding referendum on separation. Other questions address issues such as provincial control over immigration, proof of citizenship for voting, Senate reform and provincial rights.
More information can be found at albertareferendum2026.
William Hetherington
Lakeside Leader
