Some Calgary voters still undecided as election day looms

CALGARY -

The city of Calgary has been covered in election signs as candidates for mayor, city council and school board trustees get their message out to voters about why they should be elected.

There are nearly 200 candidates running for mayor, city council and the public school board including 27 mayoral candidates.

But some political watchers say voters could be frustrated by the number of candidates running, as well as by several referendum questions included on the ballot, around fluoridation in the city’s water supply, equalization and scrapping daylight saving time.

Political scientist Lori Williams at Mount Royal University believes voters have many difficult decisions to make.

“We might not see the high voter turnout but more importantly we might not see high voter participation on particular ballot questions,” said Williams.

“That could raise questions about whether the outcome is really reflective the will of the electorate.”

Calgarian Riccardo DiCiano says as of Sunday he is still an undecided voter.

“I don’t know who I’m going to choose yet,” he said.

“(I) think you got to do a lot of homework this year. There is so many people running, you read articles and see what they will provide Calgarians and hopefully when you do vote, you choose the right person.”

For Courtney Horel, she feels voter fatigue may set in as campaigns have been ongoing for months, and many are decompressing from last month’s federal election.

“I’ve got an idea of who I want to vote for for mayor, but city council I still feel I’ve got some googling and thinking to do,” she said. “Just last possible hour.”

Advance polls saw record turnout as the city of Calgary says 141,329 people voted in advance polls this year, more than was recorded during the past two elections combined.

Election day is Monday and polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. with results online by 8 p.m. Coverage will be available on TV and online on CTV News Calgary.