Final count closes Alberta referendum
Alberta voters have rejected an option to begin constitutional steps toward separation from Canada, according to final results released Thursday by Elections Alberta. The certified figures confirm that 75 per cent of voters provincewide selected the option to remain part of Canada in the historic 2026 referendum.
The result followed the Oct. 19 vote, which included 10 questions on the ballot. Elections Alberta said its publication of the final tallies marked the end of the formal counting and verification process. The completed results include totals for all 87 provincial electoral divisions, along with detailed breakdowns available through the agency’s official results portal.
Although the provincewide result produced a clear majority for remaining in Canada, the two Medicine Hat-area ridings recorded notably lower support for that option. In Brooks-Medicine Hat, 13,949 voters, or 63.2 per cent, chose to remain in Canada. A total of 8,123 voters, representing 36.8 per cent, selected the alternative calling for constitutional steps toward separation.
| Electoral division | Remain in Canada | Separation option |
|---|---|---|
| Brooks-Medicine Hat | 63.2% | 36.8% |
| Cypress-Medicine Hat | 68.1% | 31.9% |
| Alberta overall | 75% | 25% |
In Cypress-Medicine Hat, the remain option received 16,925 votes, or 68.1 per cent. The separation option received 7,929 votes, or 31.9 per cent. The two local results therefore showed majority support for Canada, but each fell below the provincial average by a significant margin.
Turnout and provincewide result
Provincial turnout reached 70.4 per cent, based on the referendum questions that attracted the highest participation. Elections Alberta calculated that figure using a pool of 3,148,205 eligible electors, including people already on the List of Electors and those who registered on voting days.
The agency reported 22,120,141 votes across all referendum questions. That figure includes valid ballots as well as ballots that were declined or rejected. The distinction is relevant because the referendum contained multiple questions, meaning the number of votes recorded across the ballot does not represent a single yes-or-no tally for the separation issue.
- The referendum was held on Oct. 19, 2026.
- Alberta’s final provincewide result favoured remaining in Canada by 75 per cent.
- Turnout was recorded at 70.4 per cent.
- Both Medicine Hat-area ridings voted to remain in Canada, but below the provincial average.
The finalized count provides the official numerical record of how Albertans responded to the separation-related option and shows that support for remaining in Canada was not uniform across the province. While the provincial majority was three-quarters of voters, the Medicine Hat-area results indicate stronger backing for the alternative in those two electoral divisions than the Alberta-wide figures reflected.
Elections Alberta said detailed tables and electoral-division summaries are available on its official portal. The release concludes the verification period for the 10-question ballot and establishes the final results as the formal outcome of the referendum process.
