Advance Voting Opens in Calgary Shaw Byelection as UCP and NDP Face Key Contest

Advance voting begins Tuesday in the Calgary Shaw provincial byelection, giving voters an opportunity to cast their ballots ahead of election day on September 14.

Elections Alberta has designated one advance voting location within the riding. Voters can cast their ballots at 1000 Sundance, located at 15 Sunpark Plaza S.E.

The advance voting station will operate from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. each day from September 8 through September 12. The location is accessible for voters with mobility and other accessibility needs.

The byelection was triggered by the resignation of former United Conservative Party MLA Rebecca Schulz, who stepped down from the Calgary Shaw seat on May 15.

Five candidates are competing for the riding.

The United Conservative Party is represented by Mike Derry, while the New Democratic Party has nominated Kyle Campbell. Progressive Tory candidate Kyle Joseph, Liberal candidate John Roggeveen and independent candidate Rolly Ashdown are also seeking the seat.

The contest is expected to focus heavily on the two major provincial parties, the governing UCP and the Opposition NDP, based on the riding’s recent electoral history.

Schulz won Calgary Shaw in the 2023 provincial election with 56.34 per cent of the vote. NDP candidate David Cloutier finished second with 42.71 per cent.

The UCP won that election by 3,379 votes, giving the governing party a margin of 13.63 percentage points.

The result represented a significant change from the 2019 election, when Schulz secured 65.32 per cent of the vote and NDP candidate Graham Sucha received 25.62 per cent.

The NDP’s support increased substantially between the two elections, gaining approximately 17 percentage points. At the same time, the UCP’s advantage dropped from almost 40 percentage points in 2019 to less than 14 points in 2023.

Those numbers have made Calgary Shaw a closely watched riding as voters prepare to choose a new MLA.

The byelection is also taking place during an important period in Alberta politics.

The vote comes only five weeks before the province’s October 19 referendum, which will contain 10 separate questions for voters.

One of those questions asks Albertans whether the province should remain part of Canada or begin the constitutional process toward a binding referendum on Alberta separation.

The issue of Alberta’s future within Canada could therefore become part of the political conversation during the Calgary Shaw campaign, particularly as voters consider candidates representing the governing party, the Opposition and smaller political alternatives.

The UCP is seeking to hold a riding that it has represented with a comfortable majority in recent years, while the NDP will be attempting to build on the substantial gains it made between the 2019 and 2023 elections.

The presence of three additional candidates could also influence the final distribution of votes, although recent results indicate that the main battle is likely to remain between the UCP and NDP.

Advance voting provides residents with several days to participate before the September 14 election.

Voters planning to cast their ballots early will have five days to visit the designated advance voting location, with voting hours running from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Tuesday through Saturday.

The Calgary Shaw result could provide an important political signal for both major parties.

For the UCP, retaining the riding would reinforce its position in a constituency that has historically been a stronghold for the party, although the reduced winning margin in 2023 demonstrated growing competition.

For the NDP, a victory would represent a significant breakthrough and confirm the party’s growing support in a riding where it substantially narrowed the gap in the last provincial election.

With the referendum approaching and the byelection attracting attention beyond the riding itself, Calgary Shaw voters will have an opportunity to influence both the immediate political representation of their constituency and the broader political discussion taking place across Alberta.

Election day is September 14, while advance voting continues from September 8 to September 12 at the designated Sundance location.

Courtesy: ctvnews