If you turn the pages of this week’s issue with a sigh and feel weary at the sight of yet another referendum story, I understand. I feel it too.

This week’s paper leans more toward hard news than usual. It wasn’t planned, it’s simply how the stories came together.

There’s an article on campaign signs going missing around Pincher Creek, a look at who’s behind the signs popping up everywhere, and a report from a session where Piikani and Kainai members shared their questions about treaties and ID at the polls. Cornell Van Ryk’s opinion series continues as well, based on reader feedback. He’s a local willing to put his name beside what he believes.

The Mailbox is open to anyone who would like to respectfully share their thoughts.

Unless something significant comes up, you won’t see this much referendum coverage in one issue again.

So why keep covering it?

We hear in conversation that many people aren’t sure what they’re being asked. If that’s you, you’re in good company. A recent Angus Reid Institute survey found one in five Albertans said they found the referendum questions difficult to understand.

There are 10 questions on the ballot. Questions 1 to 9 are answered with Yes or No, and Question 10 offers a choice between two options.

With more than two dozen registered campaigns and a separation petition before the courts, it’s a lot to take in. Our team is doing the best it can to help, from as many angles as possible. It’s not an easy job!

My primary role right now is in fact-checking and editing. It takes time and care to check against sources and to make sure claims are attributed. It’s slow work and is why some of these stories took longer to publish.

The question that seems to cause the most confusion is Question 10. It ISN’T a vote to separate from Canada.

It asks whether Alberta should remain a province, or whether the provincial government should begin the constitutional process to hold a later, binding referendum on separation.

It asks whether Albertans want a separation vote, but it isn’t that vote.

Whatever your view, I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read the questions before marking your ballot.

Elections Alberta is independent of the provincial government and of the campaigns. The questions, rules, and how and where to vote are found on its website at elections.ab.ca.

If voting by mail, request your special ballot by Friday, Sept. 25. Completed ballots must reach Edmonton by Oct. 16. I’m aiming to return mine at least a week ahead of that deadline but my package is yet to arrive.

Personal beliefs are clashing and there is division in our community. Being civil to one another isn’t the same as agreeing and doesn’t mean every argument holds up. It’s fine to disagree and to respectfully say so.

The same goes for the signs. Whether a sign speaks for you or not, the person who put it up is a neighbour who cares, just as you do.

Signs, speeches and newspaper stories can only do so much. On Oct. 19, it’s your ballot that counts, whichever boxes you choose to check.

On Oct. 20, the signs will come down and we’ll all still be Albertans. We’ll still live here, still be neighbours and still hold a variety of opinions.

The work after the vote will be finding our way back together as a community.

How we do that is up to us.