It's byelection day in three Alberta provincial electoral districts
CBC
Voters in three Alberta electoral districts will have a chance to cast a ballot in byelections today.
Electors are choosing new MLAs for the ridings of Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills, Edmonton-Ellerslie, and Edmonton Strathcona.
Mount Royal University political scientist Duane Bratt said byelections typically have a weaker turnout than a general election because the stakes are lower.
He said the outcome of the votes won't decide the stripe of the provincial government, and the races tend to get less public attention.
There are 46 UCP MLAs, 36 from the NDP, and two independents in the legislature.
Dave Cournoyer, an Edmonton-based political writer, said the contests give voters an outlet to send messages to the government and opposing parties.
He reviewed Alberta byelections held in the past decade and found they rarely resulted in a change in party.
Several candidates are likely hoping to break that pattern today. Here's a rundown of the races in each riding:
There are six candidates on the ballot to replace Rod Loyola, who stepped down as an NDP MLA in March to run in the federal election:
The diverse and fast-growing suburban riding in southeast Edmonton includes parts of Mill Woods, Ellerslie, Summerside, and rural properties north of Beaumont. The area has a large south Asian population, and a provincial government riding profile says the second-most spoken language in the district is Punjabi.
This core-area riding on Edmonton's south side has been the home turf of two Alberta NDP leaders — Raj Pannu and Rachel Notley.
Past-premier Notley resigned the seat six months ago after stepping down as party leader last year.
Naheed Nenshi, who was mayor of Calgary for 11 years, is hoping to be the next party leader to represent the riding. He is one of six candidates:
A provincial riding profile of the mostly rural district, which straddles Highway 2, says slightly more than 50,000 people live within its boundaries. With a lengthy history of MLAs from conservative-leaning parties, the riding also includes Carstairs, Crossfield, Trochu and Irricana, along with the communities in its name.
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