By Eddie Esiban | North of Polite

Albertans went to the polls on October 19 with ten questions to answer. Elections Alberta says more than 22 million individual ballots had to be counted by hand at hundreds of locations across the province. On Friday, the agency put the projected cost of running the referendum at $84.3 million.

A legislative committee approved about $59.6 million in additional funding for Elections Alberta on Friday. Of that amount, $49.6 million was for referendum operations, $9 million was for preparations for the 2027 provincial election, and about $994,000 was for other agency responsibilities. The $84.3-million projection covers the full referendum. The committee’s funding approval covers several expenses.

The question that drew the most attention asked whether Alberta should remain in Canada or begin the legal process toward a binding referendum on separation. Of the valid votes cast on that question, 74.95 per cent favoured remaining in Canada and 25.05 per cent favoured beginning that process. The October vote on that question was non-binding.

Before the vote, we looked at how that debate was playing out around Alberta’s kitchen tables. Friday’s estimate shows what it took to put the question, along with nine others, to voters across the province. Elections Alberta says it will now debrief the operation and prepare a referendum report. For now, $84.3 million is the agency’s projection.

Related reading · The hardest part of Alberta’s referendum may be at the kitchen table

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