Alberta's advance polls hit day two as officials brace for record turnout

Advance voting in Alberta's referendum entered its second day Wednesday, with polls open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at roughly 310 stations through Saturday. Elections Alberta says it's preparing for record turnout of 80 to 85 per cent of the province's nearly three million electors — far above the just-over-55 per cent average of the last five provincial elections.

Day one went smoothly with one wrinkle: 17 polling stations saw minor delays from technology issues, which Elections Alberta says were fixed, with affected stations staying open later to compensate. The agency reported about 658,000 special-ballot requests, with roughly 60 per cent returned by Monday evening.

The turnout battle is the whole story. Former premier Jason Kenney told CTV that committed separatists number "at or below 10 per cent" and that "if turnout is 40 per cent or below, I think they could actually win" — the 2021 provincewide referendum drew about 39 per cent. Liberal Leader Naheed Nenshi warned pro-Canada voters against complacency: "They will crawl over broken glass to vote, and I don't want pro-Canada voters to see a long line and go, 'Oh, we've got it in the bag.'" Premier Danielle Smith's office said she will vote at advance polls later this week — and will vote to stay in Canada.

A critical nuance: question 10 asks whether Alberta should remain in Canada or start the legal process toward a future binding separation referendum — it is not itself a separation vote. Results for the separation question are expected the morning of Oct. 20, and it will be counted first. Vote day is Oct. 19 with more than 1,400 stations.