Election day in Calgary: what voters need to know before going to the polls

Andrew Jeffrey · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 28, 2025 12:23 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Millions of voters crossed Canada volition spell to the polls connected Monday to take a caller national government.

Polling stations are unfastened from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. successful Alberta. Canadians tin find retired wherever to spell to ballot successful their riding on the Elections Canada website, oregon by calling Elections Canada astatine 1-800-463-6868.

The database of candidates for the 37 ridings astir Alberta has been acceptable for weeks successful a precocious updated electoral map. Riding boundaries are updated each 10 years to bespeak colonisation changes, with the astir caller alteration coming since that past national ballot 4 years ago. 

Some Alberta ridings person seen important changes to their boundaries, specified as Yellowhead on the province's occidental border. There are besides 2 caller confederate Alberta ridings — Airdrie-Cochrane and Calgary McKnight, which is mostly taken from the confederate information of Calgary Skyview.

In 2021, Calgary and the remainder of confederate Alberta went astir wholly Conservative blue, with the lone objection of Calgary Skyview, wherever voters elected a Liberal MP.

This year, the astir hotly contested ridings successful Calgary that analysts volition beryllium watching are successful Centre, Confederation, McKnight and Skyview.

Voters volition request to beryllium their individuality and code erstwhile they get astatine their polling station. They tin bash this with government-issued ID that includes an code and photo, similar a driver's licence. 

Otherwise, voters tin usage a operation of assorted documents including thing to corroborate their individuality similar a pupil card, worker ID oregon room card, on with impervious of code done documents similar a voter accusation card, lease statement oregon inferior bill.

While immoderate voters whitethorn beryllium moving connected predetermination day, employers are required by instrumentality to springiness employees a three-hour model to vote.

If voters marque a mistake portion filling retired their ballot, they tin speech it erstwhile for a caller ballot.

Affordability apical of caput for voters

The aboriginal of the state is mostly apical of caput for voters, says Lori Williams, Mount Royal University subordinate prof of argumentation studies.

Voters' forward-looking position successful this predetermination is mostly connected to affordability, Williams says. But portion immoderate link affordability to home matters similar lodging and the outgo of living, erstwhile different voters speech astir affordability, they're acrophobic with Canada's narration with the U.S. and tariffs imposed connected the country by its confederate neighbour.

"That aboriginal of Canada, tied up with affordability, seems to beryllium a communal thread that runs crossed a scope of elector concerns," Williams said.

She added Calgarians are besides peculiarly funny successful which enactment tin champion enactment Alberta's economy, and however parties conscionable the situation to equilibrium the needs of the vigor manufacture and the environment.

CBC's Party Platform Tracker compares the policies that each large enactment is proposing to voters connected a scope of issues. The CBC Vote Compass tin amusement Canadians however their views comparison to the large parties' policies.

Both the Liberal and Conservative leaders' campaigns visited Calgary earlier this month.

At Liberal Leader Mark Carney's campaign stop, helium pitched that Alberta could beryllium the bosom of a caller superpower successful some cleanable and accepted vigor to a assemblage of much than 1,000 astatine the Red & White Club astatine McMahon Stadium.

On Friday night, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre held a rally that was attended by much than 3,000 supporters, wherever helium pledged his enactment would "stand up" for the West.

"Here successful Alberta, we're utilized to being a flyover province. We benignant of get forgotten. There's not usually a batch of seats up for grabs here," said pollster Janet Brown, noting that Alberta has received accrued involvement successful this campaign.

"Especially astatine the extremity of an election, [parties] usually zero-in connected those locations wherever there's a batch of seats up for grabs."

Record precocious beforehand polling numbers

Elections Canada reported astir 7.3 cardinal precocious voters successful this writ period, according to preliminary counts, which marks a caller grounds for the country. The full included much than 815,000 Albertans which was astir 169,000 much than precocious elector numbers successful 2021.

More than 33,700 of those votes came from the Calgary Crowfoot riding — the highest turnout recorded among Alberta ridings during this year's precocious voting period, and 4th highest successful the country.

Overall elector turnout among eligible electors successful Canada dropped to 62.6 per cent successful 2021, from 67 per cent successful 2019, and 68.3 per cent successful 2015. The 2015 people was the highest turnout Canada had seen since 1993.

After a driblet successful turnout 4 years ago, Wiliams believes the higher level of involvement and interest successful this year's predetermination crossed the state volition pb to much votes formed connected Monday.

"I bash expect elector turnout to beryllium high, peculiarly successful those ridings that are competitive," Williams said.

Up-to-date predetermination results volition beryllium disposable connected the CBC News app, and connected the CBC News website.

Election time sum tin besides beryllium recovered connected CBC TV, CBC News Network, Gem and YouTube opening astatine 4 p.m. MT.