Lethbridge-West voters heading to the polls on December 18

November 20, 2024 Canuck

Some Lethbridge residents will be heading to the polls next month to elect their next MLA.

The Government of Alberta announced the Lethbridge-West byelection will take place on Dec. 18.

Candidate nominations will be open from Nov. 20 to Nov. 30 at 2 p.m.

Advance voting will run from Dec. 10 to Dec. 14. Voting places will then be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on election day.

Due to the Canada Post strike, the province said “Where to Vote” cards will not be mailed to voters.

For advance voting, there will be two voting locations. For voting on election day, voters can find their voting location online.

Voters can also contact Elections Alberta at 1-877-422-VOTE (8683) for help.

Who’s running?

Last year, Shannon Phillips of the NDP claimed the seat with 12,083 votes – 53 per cent of the vote.

Phillips resigned on July 1, citing a desire to get out of the public eye and spend more time with family.

The Alberta NDP selected Rob Miyashiro as the candidate for Lethbridge-West in September.

Miyashiro will go up against UCP nominee and current Lethbridge city councillor John Middleton-Hope.

Middleton-Hope announced he would be taking an unpaid leave of absence from his role with the City of Lethbridge on Wednesday.

“My leave will start immediately as I dedicate my full focus to pursuing the Lethbridge West MLA seat for the United Conservative Party,” he said, in a statement posted on the City of Lethbridge website.

Premier Danielle Smith previously said she was waiting for NDP leader Naheed Nenshi to declare his plans to get a seat in the legislature. Nenshi will need an NDP caucus member to step down to open a seat for him.

The province said there are 36,560 electors in Lethbridge-West. Voter turnout was 61.5 per cent in the 2023 provincial election.

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