Edmonton Journal has reported:

More than 700,000 Albertans cast ballots in the first four days of advance voting on the Oct. 19 referendum, and Elections Alberta said turnout is on pace to exceed the total recorded in the 2023 provincial election. The election agency announced Saturday that 703,914 people had voted on the referendum’s 10 questions, including whether Alberta should pursue independence from Canada. Adding special ballots received brings the number of voters to more than 1.2 million.

The 2023 provincial election drew 1,777,315 voters, a turnout of just over 60 per cent. Advance voting was steady each day, with 174,532 ballots cast on Day 1, 186,742 on Day 2, 168,230 on Day 3 and 174,320 on Day 4. Saturday was the final day of advance voting, and the figures suggested polling stations would remain busy.

Elections Alberta advised voters planning to wait until Oct. 19 “to come early in the day, if they have any flexibility.” Long lineups on Friday led 19 polling stations to stay open past their scheduled closing times. The Athabasca polling location remained open until 10 p.m. to make up for time lost during a power outage on Wednesday.

The agency had also processed 516,000 special ballots, which came through Canada Post. Friday was the deadline for those ballots, and Elections Alberta said their processing would continue over the following day.

The high advance poll turnout comes as Albertans prepare to decide on 10 referendum questions, with the proposal to pursue independence from Canada drawing particular attention. The advance voting figures, combined with the special ballots, put the total already cast at more than two-thirds of the 2023 provincial election’s voter count.

The 2023 turnout provides a point of comparison as the referendum approaches its final day. Elections Alberta’s advice to voters with flexibility reflected the crowds reported at polling places, including the Friday night lineups that kept 19 stations open beyond their specified closing times.