LETHBRIDGE, ALTA. — Plenty of voters were at the University Drive Alliance Church on Tuesday to take advantage of advance voting for the Lethbridge-West byelection.
The church and a polling station at the Melcor Centre will be available for anyone wanting to get their vote in early.
The riding has been without representation since Shannon Phillips stepped down on July 1.
“Advance voting opened today and it's open until Dec. 14. We have two voting locations to choose from in Lethbridge-West,” said Robyn Bell, a spokesperson with Elections Alberta.
“So from now until the 14th, electors can choose either one of those locations. They're open 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. each day of advance voting.”
It's a big milestone in the campaign for the NDP's Rob Miyashiro and the UCP's John Middleton-Hope.
Both sides have been campaigning since before the election had even been called.
“We're excited because this means we're in the homestretch. And we're also excited because we've identified thousands of supporters in Lethbridge-West. And now our job is to get them out to vote,” said Miyashiro.
“The campaign has hit a different gear. It's lots of fun to be out there. There are people at the doors that are really excited,” Middleton-Hope said.
Layton Veverka is also running for the vacant seat representing the Alberta Party.
The start of advance voting isn't the only major event happening Tuesday. Miyashiro and Middleton-Hope will also meet on Tuesday for a public forum at the main branch of the public library downtown.
“I'm looking forward to it. Looking forward to some questions from our constituents,” said Middleton-Hope.
“For us, it's really good because we have five and a half years of the UCP to talk about what they haven't done,” Miyashiro said.
Results will be hand counted for the byelection, which is different than a typical provincial election.
Despite not using electronic tabulators, Elections Alberta says unofficial results should be known on election night.
In the 2023 provincial election, 61.5 percent of the 36,560 eligible voters in Lethbridge-West cast their ballots.
“One difference in this election is that we're reporting by voting area and not voting place. So with that change, we could start to see results start to trickle in a little more frequently than normal,” said Bell.
Voters will be able to vote at either of the advance polling stations until Saturday.
Election day voting on December 18 will be limited to a voter’s assigned polling place.
