Alberta Referendum Questions Draw Scrutiny Before Vote

Alberta voters are preparing to answer 10 referendum questions from the provincial government, including a separation question, as the Oct. 19 vote approaches. The ballot has drawn attention over wording complexity, voter understanding and Premier Danielle Smith's position on Alberta remaining in Canada.

CBC News reported that several questions contain lengthy sentences and complex structures. The longest question, on allowing provinces to opt out of federal programs while keeping related funding, contains 58 words.

Carla Hudson Kam, head of the department of linguistics at the University of British Columbia, said the questions require significant reading effort.

"It’s the structures of the sentences, and the number of different verbs and clauses within these questions," Hudson Kam said.

She added that the questions may be above the reading level of many voters and said she needed to review them multiple times despite her academic background.

"I have a PhD," Hudson Kam said.

CBC News noted that a readability test rated the separation question and another referendum question at a college graduate reading level. Elections Alberta has encouraged voters to review the questions before arriving and said it cannot interpret what the questions mean.

Some Alberta residents also questioned the wording during public discussions about the referendum.

"It’s such … word salad," KT Kaufmann said.

Smith has said the referendum reflects public demands after citizen petitions called for votes on Alberta's future. National Post reported that more than 650,000 Albertans requested special ballots, which Smith described as a sign of public engagement.

"This is what citizens wanted," Smith said.

The premier said she expects the separation option to receive less support than in previous polling. A CBC News poll cited in the reports found 72 per cent planned to vote to remain in Canada, while 23 per cent supported beginning a legal process toward a binding separation referendum.

"We have had separatism go down to single digits, or imperceptible. That really should be the target," Smith said.

Smith also ruled out another separation referendum if Albertans vote to remain in Canada while she is premier.

"Not as long as I’m premier," Smith said.

The referendum also includes questions on immigration and constitutional issues. Elections Alberta said voters may use personal assistance tools, including translation support through personal devices, while election workers cannot provide interpretation of the ballot questions.