Elections Alberta says it’s tallied up the approximate cost of last month’s provincewide referendum: $84 million. The agency, kept busy in the past year by back-to-back slews of recall petitions, citizen initiatives and a historic referendum, asked the government for more than $59 million in extra funding, both for costs incurred and to keep going, on Thursday. About $49 million of that ask is to retroactively support the scope of October’s referendum, which broke records for its advanced voting lines, special ballot requests, staff hired and ultimate turnout. That number has already been spent and is now an outstanding cost, the agency clarified. Another $9 million is to support the next general provincial election, slated for Oct. 18, 2027. The funding was approved by a UCP-dominant legislative committee Thursday evening. Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure told the committee that the nature of the vote – which required the hand counting of 10 ballots per elector – had strained the financial and physical resources of the agency and left them in a “funding shortfall.” Elections Alberta was previously working with a budget of $52 million for the 2025-26 fiscal year. McClure said $26 million alone was needed to pay staff who hand-counted the more than 22 million ballots that were cast. Renting the spaces used to vote and count cost an additional $7 million. Nearly $11 million was spent on security, IT equipment, and shipping and postage for special ballots. McClure told the committee the work was “crushing” for staff. One worker, he said, even developed appendicitis and delayed treatment to keep counting. Elections Alberta’s chief administrative officer Steve Kaye said he put in a 22-hour shift during the referendum. Most of the agency’s executive team, he said, worked multiple 16-to 20-hour days. While he emphasized a few times that his staff wasn’t complaining, as hard work “comes with the territory,” he worried a lack of future funding may sour the agency’s shot at keeping sustainable staffing levels. “We have had our foot on the gas for a long time,” he said Thursday. “People are tired, and we have some concerns going forward about being able to hire some of the people that have worked for us in the past.” An upcoming legislative debate on the redrawing of electoral boundaries across the province expected to slow general election preparations was also on the table. The committee heard Thursday that Elections Alberta will be able to deliver the next general election on time, despite previously asking for a delayed election date. Elections Alberta is unable to prepare for an election, it says, until it knows which ridings to prepare. It typically asks for at least a year to prepare for a scheduled election. The committee granted the agency about $1 million in extra funding to hire new full-time staff. Elections Alberta currently employs 54 people full-time. A finalized annual budget report and request for Elections Alberta’s 2027-28 delivery is expected in December. With files from The Canadian Press
