Calgary (Rajeev Sharma): The cost of conducting Alberta’s 2026 provincial referendum is projected to reach approximately $84.27 million, according to Elections Alberta, which has submitted a supplementary funding request to cover referendum expenses and preparations for the next provincial election.
Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure presented a request for an additional $59,552,176 for the 2026-27 fiscal year on November 6. The Standing Committee on Legislative Offices approved the request, which includes funding for referendum operations, the 2027 Provincial General Election and the agency’s administrative requirements.
Of the additional amount, $49,558,434 has been allocated to referendum operations, while $9 million will support preparations for the 2027 provincial election. Another $993,742 is intended to strengthen Elections Alberta’s capacity to fulfil its statutory responsibilities.
More than 22 million ballots counted by hand
Elections Alberta described the referendum as an electoral exercise of unprecedented scale and complexity. Voters were allowed to cast as many as 10 ballots, depending on the questions presented. Counting was conducted manually at hundreds of locations throughout the province.
The process involved counting more than 22 million ballots, a total that exceeded the number of ballots cast across the entire country during the 2025 federal election.
Official referendum results were released on October 29 and are available through the Elections Alberta results portal.
More than 47,000 Albertans supported the exercise
McClure acknowledged the contribution of Elections Alberta employees and the thousands of residents who helped conduct the referendum. More than 47,000 Albertans participated in supporting the electoral process.
He noted that the financial figures do not reflect the full human effort required to organise and complete an event of this magnitude.
The agency also pointed out that it has consistently delivered election events at the lowest per-capita cost in Canada and operates with the country’s lowest staff-to-elector ratio among election management bodies.
The workload in Alberta has been particularly demanding in recent years. Since January 2025, Canada has recorded 58 electoral events, of which 37 took place in Alberta. By comparison, election management bodies typically oversee one or two such events annually.
Focus shifts to 2027 provincial election
Following the referendum, Elections Alberta is turning its attention to closing the remaining operational work and preparing for the next provincial general election in 2027.
Its upcoming responsibilities include updating the voter registry, reviewing the referendum through a comprehensive debrief, preparing an official referendum report and retrieving, organising and preparing equipment and supplies for future electoral events.
Elections Alberta operates as an independent, non-partisan office of Alberta’s Legislative Assembly and is responsible for administering provincial elections, by-elections and referendums.
