Local ridings face election issues

Unclear maps, new polling stations and lack of voter cards all contributed to hundreds of local voters showing up at the wrong polling stations ready to cast their ballot on Monday.

Catherine Hackett, returning officer in Spruce Grove-St. Albert, said that despite the confusion and the challenges of finding the right polling locations, she doesn't think anyone was turned off from the voting process.

"The ones who turned up and wanted to vote, they got the opportunity to vote," she said.

She said most of the issues stemmed from rural areas, which was a source of frustration for enumerators earlier this year.

"When they went to doors, they could see people standing there and they wouldn't come and confirm anything," Hackett said.

Katherine Zalasky, returning officer in St. Albert, said the urban areas had fewer difficulties, although recently published polling station maps were unclear, making the process more difficult for voters.

"There is a certain responsibility to the elector to know where they're voting and to know it in good time so they can avail themselves at the polls," she said.

On the rise

Coming off the record low turnout in the 2008 provincial election when just 41 per cent of eligible Albertans voted, this election's roughly 57-per-cent turnout is a step in the right direction, according to candidates and officials.

"It was remarkable and the way it should be all the time," Hackett said. "I'm certainly pleased with the numbers of people. I think we were surprised to see the turnout as high as it was."

In the local ridings of St. Albert and Spruce Grove-St. Albert, polling stations saw a larger volume of voters compared to the provincial average.

The St. Albert riding saw roughly 63 per cent of eligible voters cast ballots Monday compared to 47 per cent in 2008 while the Spruce Grove-St. Albert constituency saw 60 per cent this year compared to roughly 49 per cent in 2008.

Local forums attracted large crowds and additional seating had to be brought in to accommodate the demand. This increased engagement foreshadowed an increase in people casting a ballot come election day, said Spruce Grove-St. Albert Progressive Conservative MLA Doug Horner.

"I would love to see a lot more of that happening," he said. "I hope this in and of itself will drum up more interest in terms of discussion and where we need to go."

Voter turnout had been steadily decreasing since the early '90s, when more than 60 per cent of eligible voters cast ballots.

The 2012 provincial election, however, curbs the decline in voters, marking the first increase in two decades.

Despite the increase, Alberta still has one of the lowest voter rates Canada-wide, according to Elections Alberta.

The province had the lowest voter turnout in the country in the 2008 provincial election and ranked fourth lowest this time around compared to the last general elections throughout Canada.

"It's not just Alberta where it's declining," Horner said. "When you have a very good economy and things are going well, you're going to have more voter apathy than if things are bad."

He said the competition between the Wildrose and the PCs this election likely drew more people to the polls and he said he will continue to work on ways to engage students in the electoral process.