2019 Alberta general election

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87 seats in theLegislative Assembly of Alberta 44 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Turnout	67.5%[1] (10.5pp)
Majority party Minority party Third party   Leader Jason Kenney Rachel Notley Stephen Mandel Party United Conservative New Democratic Alberta Party Leader since October 28, 2017 October 18, 2014 February 27, 2018 Leader's seat Calgary-Lougheed Edmonton-Strathcona Ran inEdmonton-McClung (lost) Last election 30 seats, 52.02%[i] 54 seats, 40.62% 1 seat, 2.23% Seats before 25 52 3 Seats after 63 24 0 Seat change 38 28 3 Popular vote 1,040,004 619,147 171,996 Percentage 54.88% 32.67% 9.08% Swing 2.87pp[a] 7.95pp 6.84pp
Popular vote by riding. As this is a first-past-the-post election, seat totals are not determined by total popular vote, but instead by results in each riding. Riding names are listed at the bottom.
Premier before election Rachel Notley New Democratic Premier after election Jason Kenney United Conservative

The2019 Alberta general election was held on April 16, 2019, to elect 87 members to the30th Alberta Legislature.^[2] In its first general election contest, theJason Kenney-ledUnited Conservative Party (UCP) won 54.88% of the popular vote and 63 seats, defeating incumbent PremierRachel Notley. The governingAlberta New Democratic Party (NDP) were reduced to 24 seats and formed the Official Opposition. The United Conservative Party was formed in 2017 from a merger of theProgressive Conservative Party and theWildrose Party after the NDP's victory in the2015 election ended nearly 44 years of Progressive Conservative rule.

The NDP won 24 seats in total: including all but one of the seats inEdmonton (19), three seats inCalgary (Calgary-Buffalo,Calgary-McCall andCalgary-Mountain View), and the seats ofLethbridge-West andSt. Albert. The UCP won the remaining 63 seats in the province. Two other parties that won seats in the 2015 election, theAlberta Party and theAlberta Liberals, failed to win any seats, making this election the first Alberta general election since1993 where only two parties won seats.

TheElection Actfixes the election date to a three-month period, between March 1 and May 31 in the fourth calendar year after the preceding election day, which in this case was May 5, 2015. However, this did not affect the powers of theLieutenant Governor todissolve the Legislative Assembly before this period.^[3]

This election resulted in the highest voter turnout since1982^[4] at 68%, rising from 57% in the last general election held in 2015.^[1][5] It marked only the fifth change of government since Alberta became a province in 1905, and also the first time an incumbent government failed to win a second term.

Across the province, 1,896,542 votes were cast in this election.^[6]

The2015 Alberta general election resulted in aNew Democraticmajority government headed byRachel Notley. The New Democrats surprise victory ended the 44-year government led by theProgressive Conservative Association of Alberta, becoming the fourth change in governing party in Alberta's 110 year history. TheWildrose Party formed the Official Opposition under leaderBrian Jean, while the incumbent Progressive Conservatives came third place, but were left without a leader afterJim Prentice resigned as leader and disclaimed his seat.^[7] TheAlberta Liberal Party elected one member with interim leaderDavid Swann capturing his seat, while theAlberta Party elected its first candidate to the Legislature in leaderGreg Clark.

Major changes in leadership of opposition parties occurred over the next four years. FormerConservative Party of Canada Member of Parliament and MinisterJason Kenney was elected in the2017 Progressive Conservatives leadership election on a platform of uniting the right wing parties in Alberta which occurred after Wildrose members voted 95 per cent in favour of merging into the newUnited Conservative Party and forming the Official Opposition. Later the2017 United Conservative Party leadership election saw Jason Kenney elected as party leader and leader of the Opposition.

The interim leader of the Alberta Liberal Party and sole Member of the Legislative Assembly declined to contest the2017 Alberta Liberal Party leadership election, which sawDavid Khan elected leader of the party. The Alberta Party saw two Members of the Legislative Assembly cross the floor over the four year period. Party leader Greg Clark resigned as leader in 2017, and the2018 Alberta Party leadership election saw former Progressive Conservative MLA and Edmonton MayorStephen Mandel elected as party leader.

Following the NDP's election in 2015 the new government's first billAn Act to Renew Democracy in Alberta which amended theElection Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act was passed by the Legislature. The bill banned corporate and union donations to political parties, set rules for political parties accessing loans and reinforced that only Albertans are able to make political contributions.^[8] The next year the government introduced further amendments reducing political contributions from $15,000 per year to a total of $4,000 per year (inclusive of parties, constituency associations, candidates, leadership contests, and nominations).^[9][10] The election reforms were supported by the Wildrose opposition, but commentators pointed out the changes hurt the Progressive Conservatives which relied on large corporate donations.^[9] Reforms also limited party expenses to $2 million between the writ and when polls close, limiting candidates to $50,000 per general election and $23,000 for by-elections.^[9][11] Third party advertisers were limited to $150,000 during the official election period, and limited to $3,000 for supporting or opposing a candidate.^[9][11]

TheElectoral Boundaries Commission Act requires that a Commission be appointed during the first session of the Legislature following every second general election. The Commission requires a non-partisan chair, two government members recommended by the Premier, and two opposition members. Due to the decision by PremierJim Prentice to call an early election in 2015, the Commission was required to be formed before the prescribed date in time for the next election in 2019.^[12] Previous Commissions had provided for modest redistributions in favour of Alberta's cities which according to Political Scientist Roger Epp brought forward "deep rural anxieties" regarding declining population and influence in Alberta.^[12]

The Commission was provided with a mandate which kept the size of the Legislature fixed at 87 seats.^[13] The Commission was appointed, led by Justice Myra Bielby, and made only incremental changes, adding one new seat in Calgary and Edmonton, as well as a seat in theAirdrie area.^[14] The Commission did, however, make significant statements on the rural-urban divide in Alberta, noting "Alberta is no longer entirely or primarily rural in nature" and a "disproportionate preservation of the rural voice" was no longer acceptable or feasible under law.^[14][15] While theElectoral Boundaries Commission Act permits up to four districts to be formed with a population 50 per cent lower than the average population, the Commission only recommended that two of these districts be formed. The districts includeCentral Peace-Notley which had a population of 28,993 and area of 47,311 km² (18,267 sq mi), andLesser Slave Lake which had a population of 27,818, compared to the average population of electoral districts of 46,803 following redistribution.^[16]

A minority opinion was presented by Commission members appointed by the opposition, arguing that Alberta's rate of growth was a threat to "a critical part of our history, culture, and primary economic voice" which is at risk of being lost through continued redistribution.^[14][17]

The previous redistribution occurred in2010 when an additional four constituencies were added, increasing the number from 83 to the present 87. Following the2016 Canadian census the largest constituencyCalgary-South East had grown to 79,034, while the smallest constituencyDunvegan-Central Peace-Notley had a population of 25,192.^[13]

TheUnited Conservative Party made a small improvement in its overall share of the popular vote compared to the combined vote of theProgressive Conservative andWildrose parties which preceded it. The party won 63 seats. The UCP finished no lower than second place in any constituency. UCP leaderJason Kenney won re-election in his constituency.

TheAlberta New Democratic Party lost about one-fifth of its vote share, although due to the considerably higher turnout compared to 2015 it actually gained votes. The NDP with 24 seats formed the opposition in the Alberta legislature. The NDP finished first or second in 85 out of 87 ridings. NDP leader and outgoing premierRachel Notley won re-election in her constituency.

No other party elected any MLAs, with the centristAlberta Party being the only other party to run a full slate of candidates. The Alberta Party more than quadrupled its overall popular vote, but failed to win any seats. All three Alberta Party incumbents were defeated, with former leaderGreg Clark (the only MLA previously elected under the Alberta Party banner) being the only Alberta Party candidate to finish as high as second place. Current Alberta Party leaderStephen Mandel, a former mayor of Edmonton and PC cabinet minister, finished third in his own riding.

TheAlberta Liberal Party finished fourth in the overall popular vote, with its vote share falling by more than three quarters. They were shut out of the legislature for the first time since 1982. Liberal LeaderDavid Khan placed fourth in his constituency, which was formerly represented by his retiring predecessorDavid Swann.

A number of minor parties, including several running to the right of the UCP, contested the election, but none came close to winning any seats. TheAlberta Independence Party (which fielded the most candidates after the UCP, NDP and AP) finished fifth in the overall popular vote. TheFreedom Conservative Party finished sixth, although they ran fewer candidates compared to the other parties. On average, FCP candidates polled the most votes outside the three largest parties. The FCP's only incumbent (party founder and leaderDerek Fildebrandt), who had been originally elected as a representative for the now defunct Wildrose Party, finished a distant third in his own riding.^[18] TheGreen Party of Alberta finished seventh in the overall popular vote and theAlberta Advantage Party finished eighth.

The last time only two parties took all of the seats was in 1993, and the only time before that was in 1913 after the defeat of Socialist Party MLACharles O'Brien and before the rise of farmer and labour parties. Incumbent Independent MLARick Strankman – previously a UCP MLA – finished second place in his riding.

This was the first provincial election in which eligible voters could cast ballots at any advance poll in the province, not just at stations in a person's riding. The program was called "Vote Anywhere" byElections Alberta.^[19]

Notley's 24-member caucus was the largestOfficial Opposition caucus since the Liberals won 32 seats in1993. The overall result for the NDP (both in total seats and share of the vote) was the second best in the party's history after its 2015 win.

Due to the non-proportional representation First Past the Post election system that is used in Alberta, in 2019 the NDP swept all but one of the Edmonton seats, while the UCP swept almost all the seats in Calgary and 39 of the 41 seats in rural Alberta. NDP MLAs were elected in 20 of the 21 Edmonton districts, 3 of the 26 Calgary districts and 2 of the 41 districts outside the major cities, the latter including suburban St. Albert.

Party		Votes			Seats
	United Conservative	1,040,004	54.9%	2.9pp[a]	63 / 87 (72%)	33
	New Democratic	619,147	32.7%	7.9pp	24 / 87 (28%)	30
	Alberta Party	171,996	9.1%	6.8pp	0 / 87 (0%)	1
	Others and independents	63,838	3.4%	1.8pp	0 / 87 (0%)	1

  = results as certified in a judicial recount

  = open seat

  = incumbents switched allegiance after 2015 election

  = UCP candidate stripped of nomination

Those candidates not belonging to a major party, receiving more than 1,000 votes in the election, are listed below:

For the 2019 Alberta general election all parities cumulatively raised a total of $7.9 million and spent $11.3 million.^[21] At the constituency level,Calgary-Mountain View had the highest expenses at a total of $212,354,^[22] including four candidates which exceed $40,000.^[23] Of the 38 candidates which exceeded $45,000 in expenses, 21 were elected.^[22] Third party advertisers raised a total of $2.1 million and spent $1.9 million during the election.^[24] Unions contributed 46 per cent of the revenue for third party advertisers, corporations contributed 39 per cent, and individuals contributed 15 per cent.^[25]

• May 5: TheAlberta New Democratic Party (NDP) wins a majority government in the29th Alberta General Election, defeating the long-rulingProgressive Conservative Association of Alberta (PCs) after close to 44 years in office. TheWildrose Party remains the official opposition, with the PCs dropping to third and theAlberta Liberal Party andAlberta Party winning one seat each. Outgoing PremierJim Prentice announces his resignation as PC leader, and disclaims his victory inCalgary-Foothills, leaving the riding vacant and triggering a by-election.
• May 11:Ric McIver, PC MLA-elect forCalgary-Hays and outgoingcabinet minister, is appointed interim leader of the PCs.^[26]
• May 15:Elections Alberta publishes the official election results.^[27]
• May 22:Deborah Drever, NDP MLA-elect forCalgary-Bow, is suspended from the NDP caucus for controversial social media posts.^[28]
• May 24:Rachel Notley, NDP MLA-elect forEdmonton-Strathcona, is sworn in as Alberta's 17thPremier, along with her 11-memberCabinet.^[29]
• June 1: The newMLAs are sworn in.^[30]
• June 11: The first session of the29th Alberta Legislative Assembly begins.^[31]
• August 6: Premier Notley calls a by-election forCalgary-Foothills, vacated by Jim Prentice's disclamation of victory, with the vote to be held on September 3.^[32]
• September 3: TheCalgary-Foothills by-election is held. Wildrose candidatePrasad Panda is elected.^[33]
• November 23:Manmeet Bhullar, PC MLA forCalgary-Greenway, dies in a highway crash, triggering a by-election in his riding.^[34]

• January 8:Deborah Drever, Independent MLA forCalgary-Bow, rejoins the NDP.^[35]
• February 23: Premier Notley calls a by-election forCalgary-Greenway, vacated by Manmeet Bhullar's death, with the vote to be held on March 22.^[36]
• March 22: TheCalgary-Greenway by-election is held. PC candidatePrabhdeep Gill is elected.^[37]
• May 27:Derek Fildebrandt, Wildrose MLA forStrathmore-Brooks, is suspended from caucus for controversies over a social media post regarding Ontario PremierKathleen Wynne.^[38]
• May 31:Derek Fildebrandt, MLA forStrathmore-Brooks, has suspension lifted by the Wildrose Party after promising to follow set conditions.^[39]
• November 17:Sandra Jansen, PC MLA forCalgary-North West, joins the NDP after allegations of harassment during thePC leadership race.^[40]

• March 18:Jason Kenney, formerfederal cabinet minister, iselected PC leader on a platform of joining with the Wildrose to form a united right-of-centre party.^[41]
• May 18: PC leaderJason Kenney and Wildrose leaderBrian Jean announce that merger referendums will be held in their parties on July 22, 2017. If they pass, with thresholds of 50%+1 of PC members and 75% of Wildrose members, the parties will begin the process of merging into theUnited Conservative Party, or UCP.^[42]
• May 25: The Alberta Electoral Boundaries Commission presents its interim report, proposing changes to the boundaries and names of the province's ridings for the next election.^[43][44]
• June 4:David Khan iselected leader of the Liberal Party, becoming the first openly gay leader of a major Alberta political party.^[45]David Swann, MLA forCalgary-Mountain View, had been serving as interim leader since the resignation ofRaj Sherman in January 2015.
• July 22: The PC and Wildrose parties hold unity referendums on the question of merging into theUnited Conservative Party. Both parties approve the merger with 95% support.^[46]
• July 24: The UCP legislative caucus meets for the first time and appointsNathan Cooper, Wildrose MLA forOlds-Didsbury-Three Hills, as interim leader.^[47]Richard Starke, PC MLA forVermilion-Lloydminster, announces that he will not join the UCP caucus, and will continue sitting as a PC until the party is formally deregistered. This did not occur prior to dissolution of the House, thus, Starke never officially became an independent MLA.^[48]
• July 25: The UCP caucus is formally established in the legislature, comprising all 22 Wildrose MLAs and 7 of the 8 PC MLAs.Richard Starke continues to sit as a PC MLA.^[49][50]
• July 27: The UCP is formally registered with Elections Alberta. The PC and Wildrose parties remain registered, but both share the UCP's leadership team.^[51]
• August 15:Derek Fildebrandt, UCP MLA forStrathmore-Brooks, resigns from the UCP caucus following an expense scandal, becoming an Independent.^[52]
• September 21:Rick Fraser, UCP MLA forCalgary-South East, resigns from the UCP caucus, becoming an Independent.^[53]
• October 4:Karen McPherson, NDP MLA forCalgary-Mackay-Nose Hill, resigns from the NDP caucus, becoming an Independent.^[54]
• October 19: The Alberta Electoral Boundaries Commission releases its final report finalizing names and boundary changes that will take effect for the next provincial election.^[55]
• October 28:Jason Kenney iselected leader of theUnited Conservative Party.^[56]
• October 30:Karen McPherson, Independent MLA forCalgary-Mackay-Nose Hill, joins theAlberta Party caucus.^[57]
• November 1:Dave Rodney, UCP MLA forCalgary-Lougheed, resigns as MLA, triggering a by-election in his riding. Rodney stepped down in order to allow Kenney a chance to enter the legislature.^[58]
• November 16: Premier Notley calls a by-election forCalgary-Lougheed, vacated by Dave Rodney's resignation, with the vote to be held on December 14.^[59]
• November 18:Greg Clark resigns as leader of theAlberta Party, triggering a leadership election for the party.^[60] Clark assumes the role of interim leader until the leadership election.^[61]
• December 14: TheCalgary-Lougheed by-election is held. UCP candidate and leaderJason Kenney is elected.^[62]

• January 9:Rick Fraser, Independent MLA forCalgary-South East, joins theAlberta Party caucus.^[63]
• February 2:Don MacIntyre, UCP MLA forInnisfail-Sylvan Lake, resigns from the UCP caucus, becoming an Independent.^[64]
• February 5:Don MacIntyre, Independent MLA forInnisfail-Sylvan Lake, resigns as MLA, triggering a by-election in his riding. MacIntyre stepped down following sexual assault and sexual interference charges.^[64]
• February 27:Stephen Mandel iselected leader of theAlberta Party.^[65]
• March 5:Brian Jean, UCP MLA forFort McMurray-Conklin, resigns as MLA, triggering a by-election in his riding.^[66]
• June 14: Premier Notley calls by-elections forInnisfail-Sylvan Lake andFort McMurray-Conklin, vacated by Don MacIntyre and Brian Jean's respective resignations, with the vote to be held on July 12.^[67]
• July 12: In by-elections,Laila Goodridge is elected inFort McMurray-Conklin andDevin Dreeshen is elected inInnisfail-Sylvan Lake. Both seats were retained by theUCP.^[68]
• July 14:Prab Gill, UCP MLA forCalgary-Greenway, resigns from the UCP caucus, becoming an Independent.^[69]
• July 20:Derek Fildebrandt, Independent MLA forStrathmore-Brooks, joins theFreedom Conservative Party of Alberta and is appointed interim leader until the leadership election.^[70]
• October 20:Derek Fildebrandt isacclaimed leader of theFreedom Conservative Party of Alberta.^[71]
• November 5:Robyn Luff, NDP MLA forCalgary-East, is withdrawn as the party's nominee for the district and is removed from the NDP caucus, becoming an Independent.^[72][73]

• January 2:Stephanie McLean, NDP MLA forCalgary-Varsity, resigns her seat.^[74] As a spring general election is anticipated, no by-election is called in this riding.^[75]
• January 15:Rick Strankman, UCP MLA forDrumheller-Stettler, resigns from the UCP caucus, becoming an Independent. Strankman claimed "hyper partisan self-centered politics" and the lack of grassroots voting within the party as his reason for leaving the caucus.^[76]
• February 9:Alberta Party leaderStephen Mandel is declared ineligible to run by Elections Alberta because of late paperwork submission.^[77]
• March 4: The ruling onStephen Mandel's eligibility to run is reversed.^[78]
• March 19: Premier Notley announced that the election would take place on April 16.^[79]
• April 4: Televised Leader's Debate.^[80]
• April 13: Advanced Polling ends withElections Alberta estimation of a record 696,000 votes cast.^[81][82]

The following is a list of scientific opinion polls of published voter intentions.

The following MLAs have announced that they would not run in the 2019 provincial election:

The final list of candidates was published byElections Alberta on March 29, 2019.^[97] The official results were published on May 14, 2019.^[98]

Party leaders are inbold. Candidate names appear as they appeared on the ballot.

† = Not seeking re-election
‡ = Running for re-election in different riding

27 Edmonton constituenciesSix Central Edmonton constituenciesSeven North Edmonton constituenciesSeven South Edmonton constituenciesSeven Suburban Edmonton constituencies