Elections Alberta delayed unofficial referendum results Monday after extending voting at more than 100 sites that opened late, pushing back public returns from a ballot that included a question about possible separation from Canada.
Regular voting hours at unaffected locations ended at 10 p.m. ET Monday (02:00 UTC Tuesday). The agency’s updated schedule listed Lavern Community Hall, in the Cardston-Siksika electoral division, for the latest close, at 12:10 a.m. ET Tuesday (04:10 UTC).
Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure authorized the extensions under Alberta’s Election Act to give voters at affected sites their full scheduled voting hours. Elections Alberta said the problems behind the late openings had been resolved but did not identify them.
Elections Alberta told CityNews that voters were still in line at an unidentified location at 12:50 a.m. ET Tuesday (04:50 UTC).
The agency said it would publish unofficial results only after confirming that every polling place had closed. It has 48 hours after voting ends at the last site to complete the unofficial count.
The 10-question ballot included a choice about a future referendum on separation. Voters were asked whether Alberta should remain a Canadian province or the government should begin the legal process for a future binding vote on leaving. The Oct. 19 answer to that question was nonbinding.
Elections Alberta has scheduled its formal results announcement for Oct. 29 at noon ET (16:00 UTC).
