More than half a million Albertans have applied to vote by mail in the upcoming referendum, according to Elections Alberta.
An agency spokesperson told CBC News Thursday it has received more than 509,000 requests for special ballots, with eight days left for electors to apply for that voting method.
Elections Alberta has known for weeks that there was greater demand to vote by mail in the referendum scheduled for Oct. 19. But the number of requests received so far is already more than eight times greater than the roughly 60,000 special ballots requested in the 2023 provincial election.
The Oct. 19 referendum features 10 questions on a variety of issues. Most notably, the list includes a question about whether Alberta should remain in Canada or whether the provincial government should start the process to hold a binding referendum on secession.
Special mail-in ballot requests surge above 175,000 ahead of Alberta referendum
Elections Alberta also says it’s working with jails and prisons to ensure inmates can vote. Incarcerated Albertans vote through mail-in ballots.
The agency couldn’t say how many inmates have requested ballots for the referendum, but it said just over 400 applied to vote in the 2023 election.
The Correctional Service of Canada says staff have been ensuring inmates are aware of their right to vote and that posters about the upcoming referendum have been put up throughout institutions in Alberta.
There are almost three million eligible voters in the province, according to Elections Alberta, meaning about 17 per cent have expressed intentions to vote by mail in this election.
The last provincial referendum, in 2021, saw voter turnout of about 39 per cent.
Elections Alberta is also making headway toward having the number of people it needs for referendum day.
The agency set out to recruit 60,000 electoral workers. It has launched a recruitment campaign and even solicited electoral management bodies in other parts of Canada to help out.
Elections Alberta soliciting help from other jurisdictions to carry out fall referendum
A spokesperson said that, as of Thursday, almost 48,000 people have applied to be election officers. They didn’t have a total number of how many were hired.
Elections Alberta, however, is still working to ensure each electoral division has enough staff. The spokesperson said it needs more applications in the following constituencies:
Elections Alberta will keep looking for election officers until voting starts on referendum day, its spokesperson said.
