Alberta Voter Gets Just 1 of 10 Referendum Questions as Elections Alberta Confirms Mail-In Problems

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A mail-in ballot was supposed to spare an Edmonton senior the strain of a long polling-station wait. Instead, John Jegen opened his Elections Alberta package and found only one of the 10 referendum ballots he was supposed to receive. His wife’s package, delivered at the same time, contained the full set. Elections Alberta has since acknowledged several reports of incomplete packages and says affected voters will be sent proper ballots.

The missing sheets are only one complication emerging as Alberta prepares for its October 19 referendum. Mail-ballot requests have surged, the application deadline has been moved forward, and outdated declaration language has also caused confusion. With 10 separate ballots, a hand count and unusually high expected turnout, the early problems are putting added attention on an already complex voting process.

One Envelope Arrived With Only One Ballot

For Edmonton seniors Lorrie and John Jegen, voting by mail was supposed to make a complicated referendum easier. Their special-ballot packages arrived on September 1, but the contents did not match. Lorrie received the full set. John opened a much lighter envelope and found only one ballot sheet, leaving nine referendum questions missing. He told Global News there was little he could do with a single ballot and contacted Elections Alberta for help.

The couple had chosen mail voting partly because standing in a long polling-station line would be difficult for them. That makes the error more than a paperwork inconvenience: the voting method selected for accessibility and convenience suddenly required another round of calls and waiting. Elections Alberta says voters who receive incomplete packages should contact the agency so a correct set can be issued. The incident provides an early, concrete test of how the province’s unusually large 10-question vote is being administered.

Elections Alberta Says Other Packages Are Also Incomplete

Elections Alberta has acknowledged that John Jegen was not the only voter reporting incomplete referendum materials. Deputy chief electoral officer Dallas Stoesz said the agency had heard from “a few, a couple handfuls” of people whose packages were missing a ballot or, in some cases, the ballot package itself. The agency’s instruction is straightforward: affected electors should get in touch and Elections Alberta will arrange a proper set of ballots.

The physical design helps explain why a complete package needs to be checked carefully, although Elections Alberta has not publicly identified the cause of the missing sheets. The 10 special ballots are attached together at the top with a cardboard backing, much like a notepad. A voter should therefore receive an entire stack rather than a single loose choice. Officials have not described the reports as evidence of deliberate interference. What has been confirmed is an administrative problem affecting a limited number of packages that the agency says it can correct.

Ten Separate Ballots Make Completeness Especially Important

This referendum is mechanically different from a normal provincial election because one elector is not simply marking one candidate ballot. Elections Alberta says each of the 10 questions appears on its own numbered, colour-coded ballot. Questions 1 through 9 use yes-or-no responses, while Question 10 presents two choices concerning Alberta’s place in Canada. All 10 ballots are meant to reach the voter together, making a missing sheet an actual missing voting opportunity rather than a cosmetic packaging defect.

There is another unusual detail: Question 10 is presented first even though it carries the highest number. Elections Alberta has said the separation-related question will be the first ballot given to electors and the first counted after voting closes. That ordering, combined with 10 separate sheets, means voters need to pay attention to both the quantity and identity of the ballots they receive. The format keeps the questions distinct, but it also creates far more pieces that must be printed, assembled, mailed, returned and counted correctly.

Mail-Ballot Demand Has Surged to Roughly 290,000 Requests

The problems are emerging while Elections Alberta handles demand far beyond what it saw in the last provincial general election. On September 1, the agency reported approximately 225,000 special-ballot requests, nearly four times the 59,589 requests recorded for the 2023 election. By September 3, Stoesz said the total had climbed to roughly 290,000 — an increase of about 65,000 applications in only two days.

That volume matters operationally. Each approved voter needs a package containing 10 referendum ballots, instructions, declaration materials and a prepaid return envelope, while completed packages must then be processed before counting. Stoesz described the workload as unprecedented in Alberta and unusually concentrated by Canadian referendum standards. The surge also illustrates why even a relatively small packaging error can quickly become visible. When hundreds of thousands of envelopes move through a system over a short period, isolated problems can still affect enough electors to generate public concern and force administrators to organize replacements.

Elections Alberta Moved the Application Deadline Forward

Elections Alberta has already changed one important mail-voting deadline in response to the workload. The last day to apply for a special ballot is now September 25, two weeks earlier than the original October 9 cutoff. The agency says the change is intended to give voters enough time to receive their packages and return them to its Edmonton offices before the legislated deadline of 5 p.m. on October 16.

The calendar leaves little room for late surprises. Thanksgiving falls on October 12, and Elections Alberta specifically cited the holiday and postal transit time when explaining the earlier application cutoff. Completed special ballots must arrive by mail; local returning offices cannot accept them. The agency is urging electors to send completed packages back promptly rather than treating October 16 as a postmark deadline. For anyone dealing with a defective package, that timing makes early inspection especially important. Discovering that most of the ballots are missing shortly before the return deadline would leave much less time to obtain a replacement.

Outdated Declaration Language Created Another Problem

Missing ballot sheets are not the only issue Elections Alberta has had to address. Some early special-ballot packages included a declaration stating that the elector was unable to vote at an advance poll or on Election Day. That wording came from an older version of Alberta’s Election Act, when voters needed a qualifying reason to use a special ballot. Legislative changes that took effect in July 2025 removed that requirement, meaning eligible Alberta electors no longer need to provide a reason for choosing mail voting.

Elections Alberta says voters who received the outdated sentence may cross it out, complete the remainder of the declaration, sign it and return their package. Those ballots will be accepted. The agency is also removing the sentence from packages that have not yet been sent. Officials separately addressed concerns about how ballots should be folded, saying completed ballots will be accepted regardless of the way they are folded inside the package. Together, the corrections show that the first days of distribution have required real-time clarification of both package contents and voting instructions.

Changes to In-Person Voting Help Explain Mail Ballot Interest

Mail voting has become more important partly because Alberta’s in-person voting rules have also changed since 2023. Electors voting in person must now cast their ballots within the electoral division where they ordinarily reside. The province can no longer use the tabulators that supported the previous “vote anywhere” system during advance voting. Advance polls for the referendum run from October 13 through October 17, while Election Day is October 19, with polling locations open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Special ballots therefore provide an important alternative for students, travellers and workers who expect to be outside their home electoral division during the in-person voting period. The law no longer requires those electors to explain why they want a mail ballot. At the same time, completed special ballots must be returned directly to Elections Alberta through the mail. Those changes help explain why the mail system is carrying such unusually strong demand and why a missing or defective package can have an outsized impact on people who specifically chose that voting method for practical reasons.

The Questions Range From Immigration to Alberta’s Place in Canada

The stakes are heightened by the breadth of the 10 questions. Five deal with immigration, eligibility for provincially funded services or proof of citizenship for provincial voting. Four ask whether Alberta should work with other willing provinces on constitutional changes involving judicial appointments, the Senate, federal programs and conflicts between provincial and federal laws. Question 10 asks voters to choose between Alberta remaining a province of Canada and beginning the legal process toward a second, binding referendum on separation.

Elections Alberta’s role is deliberately narrow. It administers the vote but says it cannot interpret what the government’s questions mean or explain their intent to electors. Questions 1 through 9 use yes-or-no ballots, while Question 10 offers two options, and the order establishing Question 10 states that its result is not binding. That makes advance reading particularly useful. Administrative accuracy also matters because every missing sheet corresponds to a distinct policy or constitutional choice — not an extra copy of a question the voter can simply ignore.

The Vote Requires Tens of Millions of Ballots and 60,000 Workers

Even without the mail-in problems, the referendum was already being planned as the largest electoral logistics exercise in Alberta’s history. Elections Alberta says it expects to print about 45 million ballots and needs at least 60,000 workers to administer voting and complete the count. On September 1, the agency said it had received more than 35,000 worker applications but was still recruiting in several areas of the province. Every referendum ballot is also scheduled to be counted by hand.

The legal timetable adds pressure once polls close. With seven or more questions, Alberta’s referendum rules require the unofficial count to be completed within 48 hours. Question 10 will be counted first at each voting location before workers proceed through the remaining ballots. Elections Alberta has also said its polling points to possible turnout of about 85 per cent. If realized, that would exceed the 81.8 per cent participation recorded in Alberta’s 1935 general election and create an even larger administrative workload than officials have faced in recent provincial elections.

Voters With Missing Ballots Have a Clear Correction Route

For voters who receive an incomplete package, the practical response is to contact Elections Alberta before sending anything back. The agency says it will provide proper ballots to electors who report missing sheets. Voters can also track whether their special-ballot request has been received, processed or mailed, as well as whether their completed package has arrived at Elections Alberta, using the tracking link provided during the application process.

There is also a fallback if mail timing becomes a problem. Elections Alberta says that when a special ballot has not been received by the agency before the deadline, the elector can still vote in person on October 19. The voting register is updated when a mailed ballot is received, preventing an elector from voting twice. That safeguard is significant for anyone worried that requesting a replacement or encountering postal delays could eliminate the chance to participate. The practical lesson from the reported problems is to inspect the package early, confirm that all 10 ballots are present and resolve any discrepancy before the return window becomes tight.

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