Ridings still undecided as ballot counting continues

Several ridings remain too close to call Alesia Fieldberg reports on the ongoing ‘vote anywhere’ ballot counts that could swing several ridings

The election result is known but ballot counting continues in several ridings across Alberta.

The UCP will form a majority government, having been elected in 63 ridings, while the NDP took 24 ridings, according to unofficial results from Elections Alberta.

No other parties will be represented in the Legislature.

There are still a number of tight races to be officially decided.

In southern Alberta, more than 1,000 “vote anywhere” ballots still need to be counted in three Calgary ridings -- Calgary-Currie, Calgary-Falconridge, and Calgary-Varsity -- along with the ridings of Banff-Kanananaskis and Lethbridge-West.

There are also more than 1,000 “vote anywhere” ballots to be counted in ridings in and around Edmonton, including Sherwood Park, Edmonton-McClung, Edmonton-South, Edmonton-Southwest and Edmonton-West Henday.

That’s because for the first time, Elections Alberta allowed voters to go to any polling station in the province during the five-day advance voting period. But ballots of those who voted outside their home riding won’t be counted until 1 p.m. Wednesday as they were sealed and sent to the Elections Alberta headquarters in Edmonton.

As of 9:30 a.m. Wednesday the UCP is leading by less than 1,000 votes in each of the Calgary ridings and Banff-Kananaskis, and the NDP candidate is leading in Lethbridge-West.

In the Edmonton ridings, The UCP is leading in Sherwood Park and Edmonton-Southwest and the NDP is leading in  Edmonton-McClung, Edmonton-South and Edmonton-West Henday.

Voter turnout was also the highest in decades.

Preliminary results show about 70 per cent of eligible voters went to the polls, well above the roughly 57 per cent in 2015.

The highest voter turnout in recent memory was 66 per cent, which happened in 1982 when Peter Lougheed was elected to his fourth term as premier.

The record for voter turnout in Alberta is 82 per cent, which happened in 1935.