Alberta voters overwhelmingly favoured staying in Canada in preliminary referendum results released early Tuesday, according to Elections Alberta figures.
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As of 7 a.m. Tuesday, the stay-in-Canada option had 1,369,828 votes, or 75.7 per cent, with the option to begin a constitutional process toward a binding separation referendum sitting at 437,982 votes, or 24.3 per cent.
Elections Alberta reported results from 4,425 of the province’s 5,587 voting areas and locations as of that count. A location counts as reported once it has submitted results for at least one question, meaning other questions on the same ballot may still be outstanding there.
How the result affects Alberta-side residents in the Border City
Elections Alberta has not yet released a poll-by-poll breakdown identifying how Lloydminster or Vermilion-area voting locations specifically broke on the Canada question or the nine accompanying ballot questions. That detailed, location-by-location data is expected alongside the official results scheduled for Oct. 29.
Until that breakdown is published, Alberta residents in the Lloydminster and Vermilion areas are reflected only within the provincewide totals released by Elections Alberta.
What the other nine questions show so far
Beyond the headline Canada question, Albertans were also asked to weigh in on nine additional questions covering immigration, provincial court appointments, the Senate and the balance of federal and provincial law.
Preliminary results show majority support for several measures, including giving the province control to reduce immigration and prioritize economic migration (55.9 per cent), requiring proof of citizenship to vote in provincial elections (63 per cent) and abolishing the Senate (53.1 per cent).
Two questions were trailing narrowly in the preliminary count, including a proposal to let the province opt out of federal programs in provincial jurisdiction without losing associated federal funding, which sat at 48.7 per cent support, and a measure on provincial laws taking priority over conflicting federal laws in shared jurisdiction, at 50.4 per cent.
Elections Alberta said counting teams tallied the Canada question first, followed by questions one through nine in order, meaning some of those secondary totals remain more preliminary than the headline result.
Reaction from Ottawa and the Alberta legislature
Prime Minister Mark Carney characterized the outcome as a choice for national unity in a statement posted on X.
“Above all, Albertans chose Canada,” Carney said.
Carney pointed to new trading partnerships and major national projects, saying Alberta has a central role to play in Canada’s development as a global energy power.
Premier Danielle Smith welcomed the initial results Monday night in her own post on X.
“Albertans have voted for a stronger Alberta in a united Canada,” Smith wrote.
Smith said she planned to address Albertans live at 6:45 p.m. Mountain time Tuesday to discuss the available referendum results and the province’s next steps.
What happens next
Tuesday’s figures remain preliminary, and Elections Alberta has scheduled official results for Oct. 29.
The vote followed months of debate over the referendum’s legal footing, including questions raised in Meridian Source’s earlier coverage of the constitutional questions hanging over the Oct. 19 vote, and came after advance polls opened the week prior under rules detailed in Meridian Source’s report on advance voting for the referendum.
Residents can follow updated counts and official results through Elections Alberta as they become available, including any location-specific figures covering Lloydminster and Vermilion-area polls.
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