Elections Alberta estimates the October 19 referendum cost $84,268,919, according to a November 6 statement from Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure. A legislative committee approved a $59.55-million supplementary budget request: $49.56 million for referendum operations, $9 million for preparations for the 2027 provincial election and just under $1 million for additional organizational capacity.
The agency says more than 22 million paper ballots were counted by hand across hundreds of locations and that more than 47,000 Albertans worked to deliver the event. Premier Danielle Smith subsequently defended the referendum as an opportunity for voters to express their views, while critics have questioned the expenditure and the questions put before voters. Those positions do not change the agency’s independently reported costs.
The new financial figures arrive as Alberta considers changes to its electoral boundaries before the scheduled October 2027 provincial vote. For taxpayers, the next question is the total cost beyond Elections Alberta’s operations, including any government communications or campaigns accounted for elsewhere. The agency’s $84.3-million figure is a projected delivery cost, not proof that every related government expenditure has been captured.
