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Who Can Vote

Ordinary Residence

Some Albertans may spend their time at more than one location in the province or may spend portions of the year in other provinces or countries. To determine their eligibility to vote in a provincial election, these persons must determine their place of ordinary residence per the following rules:

  1. a person can have only one place of ordinary residence
  2. a person’s ordinary residence is the place where the person lives and sleeps and to which, when the person is absent from it, the person intends to return, and
  3. when a person leaves Alberta with the intention of becoming ordinarily resident outside Alberta, the person’s ordinary residence in Alberta ceases

For Students

Students studying in Alberta, as well as any Albertan students studying outside of Alberta, are eligible to vote in a provincial election. But, they must also determine their place of ordinary residence, per the following rules. These rules also apply to any spouse, partner or dependent of a student.

In Alberta

If a student leaves their ordinary residence in Alberta to study at an educational institution elsewhere in Alberta, that person may, while pursuing their studies, consider one of the following as their place of ordinary residence:

  1. the place where they resided immediately before commencing their studies
  2. the place where they are currently residing in Alberta

Outside of Alberta

If a student leaves their ordinary residence in Alberta to study at an educational institution outside Alberta, that person may, while pursuing their studies, maintain ordinary residence in the place where they lived before leaving Alberta. However, if the student does not intend to return to Alberta once they complete their studies, they should register to vote where they are now residing and cease being an elector in Alberta.

For Incarcerated Electors

Incarcerated electors that were residents of Alberta before their incarceration are eligible to vote in a provincial election, even if they are currently incarcerated outside of Alberta. An incarcerated elector may select their place of ordinary residence, from one of the following options: 

  • their residence before being incarcerated
  • the residence of their spouse, partner, relative, dependent, or other person with whom they would live if they were not incarcerated
  • the place of their arrest
  • the last court where they were convicted and sentenced