'It's more convenient': Alberta advance vote numbers surge
'It's more convenient': Alberta advance vote numbers surge
Elections Alberta says more than 317,000 Albertans have voted so far in this week's advance vote, which is still on pace to break records.
Over the first two days of advance voting, 317,461 early ballots were cast, which is approximately 45 per cent of all advance ballots submitted in the 2019 general election.
According to Elections Alberta, more than 696,000 Albertans voted early that year.
Stephen Carter, president of political strategy company Decide Campaigns, says "advance votes are everything for this election."
"I think that shows how excited people are to vote," Carter said. "We've seen a shift to advance polls before.
"Over the last 10 years, you used to require a reason to vote in advance polls. Now you just go to advance polls because it's more convenient."
A lot of that comes from Election Alberta's Vote Anywhere concept that allows any Albertan to go to any advance poll in the province to cast their ballot.
"That is super easy for people," Carter said.
Carter says both Smith and Notley's campaign managers are reaching into every area they can for support.
"We saw Rachel Notley doing an event side-by-side with Danielle Smith last night: Smith was in Glenmore, Notley was in Acadia. Both of those ridings are absolutely essential."
Despite that vigor, neither party seems to be gaining much momentum, according to Carter.
"It's been a dog fight from day one of this campaign," he said.
"Two months prior to that, there's been negatives associated with both parties; tremendous challenges for each of the leaders as they push through and try to win this election."
The record for advance ballots was broken during the first two days of early voting, when approximately 276,000 votes were cast on Tuesday and Wednesday – more than the number cast during all four days of advance voting in the 2015 general election.
Russian air defences stopped eight drones converging on Moscow, officials said Tuesday, in an attack that authorities blamed on Ukraine, while Russia continued a a relentless wave of daylight and nighttime bombardment of Kyiv that began Monday.
Public Services and Procurement Minister Helena Jaczek says the Liberal government expects to have a plan for the future of 24 Sussex Drive by the fall.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is pushing for special rapporteur David Johnston to 'step aside' from his role examining the issue of foreign interference before he embarks on public hearings.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has failed to persuade the House of Commons to condemn the Liberal government's approach to fighting drug addiction.
Canadian political leaders and parliamentarians are denouncing a new law passed in Uganda that imposes harsh penalties, including the death penalty, for certain cases involving homosexuality.
The body of a Winnipeg boy who fell into Sturgeon Falls on Saturday has been found following a desperate underwater search that lasted more than a day.
With the summer swimming season fast approaching, the Canada Safety Council is reminding people to be careful and take measures to prevent drowning, especially after three children died just days apart.
Over 170,000 elementary and high school students weighed in on the Alberta election and the NDP had to hope the real voters were listening, because they won the kids' vote.
On Monday, Fraser Health provided two senior leaders to address the latest letter outlining risks to patients, allegations of muzzling, and pleas for help from emergency physicians in the health authority's hospitals.
The president of the BC Trucking Association is issuing renewed calls for safety after a trailer truck smashed into an overhead pass Monday morning in Langley.
Approximately 200 homes or structures have been damaged by the wildfire that began burning Sunday in the Upper Tanatallon, N.S., area, according to preliminary estimates.
Capital Bike is encouraging Greater Victoria residents to choose cycling as a way to get around the region during "Go By Bike Week," which runs from May 29 to June 4.
Carla White is the only remaining tenant in her building, which is slated to be demolished to make room for a 176-unit condo project. But in order to move forward, the developer must reach an agreement with White -- and she says she won't leave until she's provided with a home that offers the long-term stability she needs to ensure she won't end up back on the streets.
Three out of four Quebecers would oppose a 30 per cent increase in MNAs' salaries, suggests a new Léger poll commissioned by Québec Solidaire (QS). The poll was conducted online among 1,006 Quebecers between May 26 and 29.
Montreal police (SPVM) are investigating yet another suspicious fire. Two cars parked in front of a commercial building in Montreal East were engulfed in flames in the middle of the night on Tuesday.
It's the end of an era for one sporting goods store at Bank Street and Laurier Avenue. The owner says a lack of foot traffic downtown is behind the decision to close a store that's been operating for 41 years.
The Sandy Hill Child Care Centre has an extra two weeks to get its new home up to code months after a fire destroyed its original site on Wilbrod Street.
The rural Oxford County intersection where an OPP officer and a school bus driver were killed Monday was less than a month away from becoming a four-way stop when the deadly crash happened.
It was a night of indecision at Waterloo region's catholic school board as trustees went back and forth trying to find the best approach to fill a vacant seat.
In a province where there are vast distances between cities and towns, one local group is hoping to get public support for an idea to bridge those gaps with a rail line.
The body of a Winnipeg boy who fell into Sturgeon Falls on Saturday has been found following a desperate underwater search that lasted more than a day.
A Winnipeg family is asking for help to find their missing teenage son whom they haven't seen since he left for school in the Fort Richmond area last Wednesday morning.
The body of a Winnipeg boy who fell into Sturgeon Falls on Saturday has been found following a desperate underwater search that lasted more than a day.
The first twister of 2023 in the country touched down near Regina over the weekend, according to an analysis from the Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP).
One person from Estevan, Sask. is dead and another is seriously injured following a collision between a pickup truck and a motorcycle on May 28 near Fortuna, North Dakota.
