Calgary election contends with low voter interest, postal strike impacts

Candidates vying for local office in Calgary are contending with a perceived lack of interest as well as a postal strike in the 2025 election campaign.

Election signs are popping up around Calgary, but those vying for local office are facing challenges getting the attention of voters.

The perceived lack of engagement so far in the 2025 municipal election even getting noticed by Calgary’s former mayor at an unrelated press conference this week.

“I was just up in Grande Prairie and there are election signs everywhere and everyone is excited about the election,” said Naheed Nenshi, now leader of Alberta’s NDP.

“Here in Calgary, I feel like people haven’t yet gotten engaged in the way that we’ve done in the past.”

Voter turnout tends to be lower in municipal elections in Calgary. It was 46.38 per cent in the last civic election, down from 58.1 per cent in the 2017 contest — the highest voter turnout in a local election in Calgary in more than 40 years.

Duane Bratt, a political scientist at Mount Royal University in Calgary, said he’s also noticed a lack of engagement so far in the race even amongst his students.

According to Bratt, voter turnout and engagement is typically lower during elections when the incumbent mayor seeks re-election.

In 2004, only 19.8 per cent of voters turned out in a race that saw incumbent Dave Bronconnier win re-election, and just 39.4 per cent of voters showed up when Nenshi won his re-election bid in 2013.