Alberta Votes: What's driving the referendum debate?

Albertans are being asked to weigh in on 10 questions dealing with a range of topics, including, I think, the one that obviously most of Alberta and the country is focused on, Alberta's future within Confederation. What's at the top of mind for most? I think what's at top of mind for most, like you say, is that question 10. That one has been talked about a lot. People know that's on the ballot. But then we've also spoken with a number of newcomer groups and groups that are representing different people from all walks of life here in Alberta. We've even spoken with an archbishop here in Edmonton where they're really trying to communicate that the nine questions that are also on the ballot that people may be less familiar with also are important to weigh in on, to take your time, to read those questions thoroughly. There are a lot of information sessions that have been happening from various groups to help people make sense of that. Some of my colleagues have spoken directly with Albertans that say, I have a PhD and I'm struggling to understand some of these questions because of the way they're worded. So again, that goes back to this idea that those long lineups could be a reality as we see advanced polls this week, but especially on October 19th, because it's not as simple as just seeing a name and then selecting beside the name. There's a lengthy sentence to get through on each of those nine questions. And so I think right now there's just a lot of confusion. We're really trying to inform people as much as we can on our programming, like Edmonton AM, so they can feel confident and ready to vote, no matter if it's this week or on October 19th. Yeah, it might take a few minutes or several minutes just to read through all the questions, right? It's not a typical election where you might know the candidate ahead of time and just go in and tick him the way you go. Many are eyeing the big question of whether Alberta should stay in Canada or take the next step toward holding a binding referendum on possible separation. How strongly, you alluded to it, but how strongly do Albertans feel about this particular point? Well, the last we heard from a September poll from Janet Brown Opinion Research was that 23% would vote to begin the legal process to hold the binding referendum to separate, whereas 72% of those polled would vote to stay in Canada. And then 4% polled are undecided at this point. Now, these are September numbers from Janet Brown Opinion Research, so we'll see how those things really come to fruition in all of these advanced polls. And then, as I say, referendum day on October 19th, and we'll have full coverage to keep everyone updated on what happens. And how comparable would you say the referendum chatter has been in comparison to regular elections? It would seem, if the special ballots are any indication, that there are a lot of people that do want to have their say. Absolutely. We are seeing a lot more discussion, likely more than elections. However, there are pockets of Albertans that haven't been paying attention and don't realize that there are 10 questions ahead of them, that voting in a referendum is something they can or want to do. So I'm going to really be paying attention to that voter turnout number. We haven't seen it necessarily be as high as people have hoped during provincial and municipal elections. So that'll be really telling once we start to see results roll in. And then once we have all those results by the 20th or even 21st, It'll be the deadline to really get those results from Elections Alberta.