Elections Alberta has hired nearly 30,000 workers for Alberta’s October referendum and is continuing recruitment as it prepares for what it expects could be a high voter turnout. As of Wednesday, more than 53,000 people had applied to work, against an agency goal of 60,000. Returning officers across the province are focused on hiring as voting approaches.

Elections Alberta spokesperson Maia Hanrahan said the current hiring total may seem short of the target, but could be the highest the agency has seen. “I think this is a really fantastic result so far. If you look at how many people were hired for election officers for the 2023 provincial general election, there were a bit over 13,000,” she said. “This is already more than double the amount hired for the upcoming referendum.”

Hanrahan said 60,000 workers is the goal for “maximum efficiency,” but the referendum will proceed with the staff available. “However, we will run the event with the people we can get. We will continue hiring right up until voting begins for the referendum.” Hiring remains active in Edmonton-Southwest and many other divisions, while some rural communities in both northern and southern Alberta have fewer applicants.

Wendy Campbell, returning officer for Edmonton-Southwest, said training takes place at nearly the same time as recruitment. “Every election worker gets training specific to their position … There are procedures and forms for almost every eventuality that can happen for special events or advance training or on election day itself,” she told CTV News Edmonton. Campbell will also oversee special requests for voters travelling during the referendum and advance voting days.

Elections Alberta had received nearly 641,000 special ballot applications as of Wednesday, almost 30,000 more than the previous day. The number is expected to rise further because applications for mail-in ballots are due Friday at midnight. Hanrahan said the agency is planning for a higher turnout, though the final level is difficult to predict.

“It’s hard to predict what the turnout will be, but we are planning for a higher turnout just to make sure we have the staff and that we’re ready. We’re already seeing a high interest in special ballots. We’ve received more than 10 times the number of requests we got in the 2023 general election,” Hanrahan said. She said the voting day could involve long lines and hand-counting, but Elections Alberta is confident it will run smoothly.

Hanrahan advised voters who can avoid peak periods to consider doing so, and encouraged them to review the referendum questions before arriving. Campbell said she welcomes strong participation. “I personally am looking forward to seeing a big voter turnout. That’s why we hold elections, to have people have their say,” she said. “From the implementation perspective, I’m looking forward to having my team, and I’m confident they will present a unified experience that the electors of Edmonton-Southwest will come out and appreciate.”

Mail-in ballots must arrive by Oct. 16 at 5 p.m. Elections Alberta asks voters to mail them by Oct. 9 to allow time for delivery. Voters can use Canada Post tracking to check their ballot’s status; an update marked “received” means the agency says the vote has gone through successfully.

Canada Post said in a statement to CTV News Edmonton that it is working closely with Elections Alberta to support mail-in voting logistics. It reminded voters that all ballots must reach Edmonton and said regular lettermail delivery is estimated at two business days locally and three business days within Alberta. “These are estimates and not a guarantee as factors outside of our control can come into play,” the statement said. The report included files from CTV News Edmonton’s Miriam Valdes-Carletti.

Based on reporting by CTV News Edmonton.