Calgary-Foothills byelection could have low turnout
Today is the last day of advanced polling in that other election.
Voters in Calgary-Foothills are facing their third provincial election in less than a year — during a federal election — after former premier Jim Prentice resigned his seat the night his party was defeated. Political watchers aren't getting their hopes up for a high turnout.
"Kids go back to school on September 1st — parents are going to be struggling with that change. Traffic patterns are at their worst next week, and then we go straight into the long weekend. We're going to have the worst turnout in a byelection we've ever seen," predicts Stephen Carter, a strategist and pundit who has worked on many campaigns.
Corey Hogan, a strategist with Hill + Knowlton and a former executive director of the Alberta Liberal party, sees the overshadowed contest as a two-way race.
"It favours the most enthusiastic party, which is probably why the NDP and the Wildrose are the only ones to watch now," he said. "The PCs are still on the mat. It's going to take a while for them to get off it."
Voting day is September 3, with seven candidates vying for the open seat.
