Elections Alberta Spent $84M on Separation Referendum, Exceeding Budget
Data showed the agency spent $84,268,919 to deliver this year’s referendum, which was $49,558,434 or 2.43 times more than its budget of $34,710,485.
Elections Alberta spent over $84.2 million on the 2026 referendum, significantly exceeding its original budget by 143 percent. The agency cited the need to hire more staff for manual ballot counting as a primary reason for the cost overruns. Officials have requested additional funding to cover these expenses and future election costs.
- Elections Alberta spent $84.2 million on the 2026 referendum, exceeding its budget by 143 percent.
- The majority of the overspending, $26.1 million, was due to hiring 47,000 workers for manual ballot counting.
- Other significant expenses included venue rentals, freight, postage, special ballot processing, security, and technology.
- Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure addressed the Standing Committee on Legislative Offices about the cost overruns.
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