These maps show how Alberta municipalities voted on equalization and daylight saving time referendums

A little over a month ago at polling stations across the province, Albertans were asked to vote on two referendum questions as part of municipal elections. 

The first and most contentious question on Oct. 18 looked at equalization and whether the federal government's commitment to the principle of making equalization payments should be removed from the Constitution.

The second question looked at whether Alberta should adopt year-round daylight saving time, which is summer hours, eliminating the need to change our clocks twice a year.

CBC Edmonton mapped the results across the province.

Note: Several areas on the maps are labelled "Municipal Affairs." According to an Elections Alberta spokesperson, Alberta Municipal Affairs was responsible for conducting the referendum vote for First Nations, summer villages, Lloydminster, improvement districts and special areas.

In some cases, municipal affairs entered into agreements with a municipality to conduct the vote, in others a neighbouring municipality would conduct it. If a partnership could not be established, municipal affairs provided a special ballot voting opportunity.

Provincially, 61.7 per cent of voters who cast a valid ballot want equalization removed from the Constitution.

Edmonton, Banff, Jasper, Improvement District No. 4 (Waterton) and the Town of Canmore were the only places where more voters said equalization should remain, according to data from Elections Alberta.

Support appeared to vary depending on whether a community was urban or rural. The vote was tighter in Edmonton and Calgary than in medium-sized cities like Red Deer and smaller rural communities.

But the non-binding results are moot, says Geoffrey Hale, a University of Lethbridge political science professor.

"The fact that [removing equalization] is not a unilateral federal decision to make — or something that can be negotiated with a single province — is not something that has escaped the attention of the people who decided the question," Hale said.

"The way it was sold was that it was a way of getting the federal government to address Alberta's concerns with regard to fiscal federalism. Or, more bluntly, to send a message."

Constitutional amendments require approval from two-thirds of provinces with at least half of the country's population (minus the populations of the three territories).

Feelings more mixed about daylight saving time

Most of the focus was on the equalization referendum, but Albertans nearly voted to never having to adjust their clocks.

Voters were asked: Do you want Alberta to adopt year-round daylight saving time, which is summer hours, eliminating the need to change our clocks twice a year?

Of the valid ballots, 50.2 per cent said no.

Voters largely in favour of keeping daylight saving time were in smaller rural areas, such as Mackenzie County.

The northwestern Alberta region, which includes multiple reserves, saw 1,264 valid ballots cast on the question. Of those, nearly 74.5 per cent voted yes, data shows.

The vote was closer in larger rural and urban areas where, in many cases, the vote was decided by tenths of a percentage to a few percentage points, data shows.

In Calgary, over 386,000 valid ballots were cast with 48.49 per cent voting in favour and 51.51 per cent against.

There were 4,460 valid ballots in Sturgeon County, just north of Edmonton, and 49.28 per cent voted for and 50.72 per cent voted against.