Voters head to the polls to choose new MLA for Lethbridge-West 

Lethbridge-West byelection candidates, left to right: the UCP's John Middleton-Hope, the NDP's Rob Miyashiro and the Alberta Party's Layton Veverka. (Sources: United Conservative Party of Alberta, Alberta New Democratic Party, Alberta Party)

After five and a half months without representation, a new MLA will be elected for the Lethbridge-West constituency on Wednesday.

Voters will be heading to the polls to vote in a byelection to fill the void left after former NDP MLA Shannon Phillips stepped down on July 1.

Three candidates – the NDP's Rob Miyashiro, the UCP's John Middleton-Hope and the Alberta Party's Layton Veverka – are vying for the seat.

“We're working hard, and I think that's all we can ask, that's all any campaign can ask. Our volunteers are working hard, our staffers, all the campaign workers. So, we're just pushing right to the end. We're pulling vote right up until the polls close,” said Miyashiro.

CTV News reached out to Middleton-Hope and Veverka, but they did not provide a comment in time for broadcast.

It's expected to be a tight race between Miyashiro and Middleton-Hope.

The two former city councillors were campaigning even before the race was called.

“I'd like to think that more than likely, the NDP will pull ahead on this one, but it's very difficult. So having said that, I'll probably be wrong,” said Lars Hallström, a political science professor at the University of Lethbridge.

“Political scientists are usually wrong when it comes to these things. I do think it's probably going to be tighter.”

The constituency was a conservative stronghold for 40 years before Phillips managed to win the seat for the NDP in the last three elections.

It was the only constituency in southern Alberta to vote NDP in the 2023 election. It's a seat the UCP would love to turn blue.

“It was blue for a long time. But right before 2015, Shannon [Phillips], you know, had a pretty resounding win. Even back in 2023. The one before was quite a bit closer and, you know, really separated by only a few hundred, less than a thousand votes,” Hallström said.

About 18 per cent of the approximately 37,000 eligible voters in the constituency voted in advance polls.

That trails the 28.3 percent who voted early in the 2023 provincial.

Byelections typically see less turnout than a general election.

“Byelections don't have great turnout traditionally anyway. It hasn't really been sort of a hot and bothered kind of campaign, so to speak. I think John was away for a little bit as well, been pretty sedate,” said Hallström.

Despite the votes being counted by hand, Elections Alberta expects unofficial results will be available Wednesday night.