Majority of Albertans vote to stay in Canada in historic referendum
A vast majority of Albertans have voted to remain as a province in Canada in the 2026 referendum held on Monday, Oct. 19.
A majority of Albertans have voted to stay in Canada, CBC News projected shortly after 11 p.m. Monday. CTV News followed suit shortly after with a projection of a majority of votes for Alberta to remain a province in Canada.
Results started to trickle in just after 11 Thursday night, after voting hours were extended at multiple voting locations across the province to reflect late openings this morning.
Elections Alberta stated earlier in the day that advance voting and special ballot voting voter turnout was 43.1 per cent, with 837,791 votes cast during the five-day in-person advance voting period and 519,082 votes cast by special ballot.
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The highly watched Question 10 on the referendum asked voters “Should Alberta remain a province of Canada, or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?”
Option one on the question was “Alberta should remain a province in Canada”, while option two was “The Government of Alberta should commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada.”
Premier Danielle Smith took to social media shortly before midnight to thank voters, adding that she was “pleased to see the initial results.” Smith also revealed that she will be speaking to the province tomorrow at 6:45 p.m. to discuss the results of the referendum questions.
Thank you, Alberta!
I’m very pleased to see the initial results from Elections Alberta show widespread support for remaining in Canada. Albertans have voted for a stronger Alberta in a united Canada.
Thank you to all Albertans who took time to vote on these critically important referendum questions.
Tomorrow evening, October 20, I will address Albertans live at 6:45 p.m. to discuss the results of all referendum questions for which results are available, and where our province goes from here.
— Danielle Smith (@ABDanielleSmith) October 20, 2026
Nine other referendum questions were also on the ballot, including everything from immigration and voting requirements to the future of the Senate and the balance of power between provincial and federal governments.
You can view more of the referendum’s unofficial results on the Elections Alberta website. Official results will not be released until Thursday, Oct. 29.
The Referendum (General) Regulation requires counts to be completed and unofficial results published within 48 hours of confirmed close of all voting locations on Oct. 19, 2026.