Turnout at advanced polls in the Alberta byelection, where Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre is vying to regain a seat in the House of Commons, is on par with the number of electors in the riding who cast early ballots during the general election this spring.
According to an estimate issued by Elections Canada on Wednesday, 14,454 electors in Battle River-Crowfoot, Alta. voted during the four days of advance polling between last Friday and Monday, while noting “some polls may not have reported yet.”
During the 2025 general election, the independent federal elections body reported that 14,434 voters cast early ballots over the four advance polling dates in April.
Over the weekend at advance polling places in the sprawling rural Alberta riding, for the first time ever, voters were handed a blank ballot, rather than a listed ballot, and asked to fill it out with the name of their preferred candidate.
The adapted system is the result of the record-setting 214 candidates registered in the byelection – the latest effort from the “Longest Ballot Committee,” an advocacy group which has leveraged the current rules to draw attention to their demand for electoral reform.
A bound booklet listing all candidates was available for voters to reference.
The byelection was called in June, triggered by then-Conservative MP Damien Kurek’s resignation, a decision he took so Poilievre could try to regain a foothold in Parliament after losing his seat in the spring election.
That loss, in Carleton, Ont. came after that riding had one of the longest ballots in history, and the highest advance general election turnout across the country.
In April, Kurek won the riding – seen as the safest Conservative seat in Canada – in a landslide, with 83 per cent of the vote.
Asked today if Poilievre needs to secure a comparably high degree of support to maintain the backing of his caucus, longtime Alberta Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner wouldn’t say.
“What I can say is, I was out in Battle River-Crowfoot last weekend, and there was a lot of enthusiasm and support for both him and our party on the doors,” she said. “He’s working hard.”
“I want to be very clear: our caucus supports our leader Pierre Poilievre,” Rempel Garner added. “He’s got a very strong team behind him who supports what he’s doing and his commitment after… a long and tiring year.”
“I’m looking forward to having him back in the House … and we’re going to have a very strong fall with him at the helm.”
Among the candidates Poilievre is facing off against are Liberal candidate Darcy Spady, NDP candidate Katherine Swampy, People’s Party candidate Jonathan Bridges, Green candidate Ashley MacDonald and independent candidate Bonnie Critchley.
Remaining eligible Battle River-Crowfoot voters will head to the polls to cast their ballots on Monday, Aug. 18.
With files from CTV News’ Kathy Le
