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Alberta Politics

Attention Albertans: Get out and vote. Here’s how.

Advance polls are now open in provincial constituencies across Alberta. If you are unable to cast a ballot on Alberta’s Election Day on Tuesday, May 5, you can now vote in the Advance Polls from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on April 29, 30 and May 1, 2. If you are not sure where your voting station is located or what constituency you live in, visit the Elections Alberta website and use their search tool to find out.

Be sure to bring proper identification with you to the voting station. Elections Alberta accepts a wide range of identification in order to vote.

On May 5, voting stations will be open from 9:00 am to 8:00 p.m. Unofficial election results will be posted online after the polls close that night and official results will be released on May 15.

Alberta’s Election Act ensures that all eligible voters are allowed time off work to vote on Election Day. Section 132 of the Election Act allows for three consecutive hours for the purpose of voting.

If you do not know who your candidate is or what the different political parties stand for, I have compiled a list of candidates running in this election with links to websites and social media accounts (which are being updated on an ongoing basis).

According to Elections Alberta, 2,543,127 voters are eligible to participate in this provincial election. The largest constituency is Calgary-South East, with 41,559 eligible voters, and the least populated constituency is Dunvegan-Central Peace-Notley, with 14,869 eligible voters.

In 2012, a total of 1,290,223 (54.39%) Albertans participated in the provincial election (voter turnout was 53.9% in Calgary, 54.4% in Edmonton, and 53.3% in the rest of the province). In the same election, 179,820 (13.9%) of Albertans voted in the Advance Polls, a record in our province (6.7% of Albertans voted in Advance Polls in the 2008 election).

Historically, the largest voter turnout was 81.8%, which occurred during the 1935 election.

Voter turnout dipped below 50% in the mid-2000s, with a measly 44.7% of Albertans showing up in 2004 and 40.6% in 2008. Let’s not let that happen again. Be sure to cast your ballots in the Advance Polls or on Election Day.

7 replies on “Attention Albertans: Get out and vote. Here’s how.”

You know, I’d love to see Brian “side show bob” Jean try to parlay his moms fortune into a provincial coalition that removes 5 billion dollars from our federal transfer revenue, in an academic kind of love to see. In a reality that my family and every other family in my neighbourhood share, Brian Jean is either a disaster or a stalking horse for a right wing coalition that I’ll call “cross dressing 2.0”. Dani being 1.9. If we are dumb enough to be governed by misanthropes, and passive aggressive stubble jumpers, then pile on the two fer PCs… wildrose or prentice flavour, both Harper tryed and approved.

By the way…. If any party takes over from some junta that’s held power for 80 years (Bible Bill ’til extra bill Brian Jean), wouldn’t you want a review of the most important revenue? Expenditures in single source contracts $7 million at AHS versus where I’d look $350$ in infrastructure. Buddy has a cement truck!
Hey crucify the NDP for wanting to examine revenue. Any fool can see that expenditures have been corrupt for decades, revenue policy has just been willfully “prostitutional”!

Could someone please explain something: If Alberta has fixed election dates, and these are enshrined in law, and the next election wasn’t supposed to be until 2016, how can Jim Prentice legally get away with calling an early election?

Check page 40 of the Election Act, Peter. http://www.qp.alberta.ca/documents/Acts/e01.pdf

General election dates
38.1(1) Nothing in this section affects the powers of the
Lieutenant Governor, including the power to dissolve the
Legislature, in Her Majesty’s name, when the Lieutenant Governor
sees fit.
(2) Subject to subsection (1), a general election shall be held
within the 3-month period beginning on March 1, 2012 and ending
on May 31, 2012, and afterwards, general elections shall be held
within the 3-month period beginning on March 1 and ending on
May 31 in the 4th calendar year following polling day in the most
recent general election.

So Jim called on the LG as per Section 1 and POOF! – Election On!

Hahahahahaaa! Thanks Fluffy. So the “fixed” election dates aren’t really fixed at all. They are at the whim of the Premier and LG.

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