Skip to content

Strong advance turnout for Calgary provincial byelection: electoral officer

Alberta’s chief electoral officer says there was strong turnout at advance polls for Thursday’s Calgary byelection.

CALGARY — Alberta’s chief electoral officer says there was strong turnout at advance polls for Thursday’s Calgary byelection.

Glen Resler says 4,146 voters — or about 12 per cent of the electorate — cast ballots over four days last week in Calgary- Foothills.

That’s 84 more advance ballots than were cast in the May 5 provincial election.

It’s almost 1,200 more than in a byelection last fall won by then-premier Jim Prentice.

The seat most recently became vacant when Prentice resigned the night his Progressive Conservatives were defeated by Rachel Notley’s New Democrats.

There are seven candidates running for a chance to sit in the legislature.

They include former Calgary councillor and one-time MLA Bob Hawkesworth for the NDP, businessman Blair Houston for the PCs and oil executive Prasad Panda for the Wildrose.