Poll predicts close races for Lethbridge ridings in provincial election

With Alberta election campaigns officially underway, candidates are making pitches to try and win your vote.

According to researchers at Lethbridge College, every vote could be crucial in both of Lethbridge’s ridings — races that are too close to call.

“No party would win by a landslide,” said Citizen Society Research Lab chair Faron Ellis.

“The last election was an anomaly with Shannon Phillips winning with 63 per cent or so. That was very different than virtually all of the elections we’ve had in Lethbridge in the last 25 years before that.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The last election was an anomaly with Shannon Phillips winning with 63 per cent or so. That was very different than virtually all of the elections we've had in Lethbridge in the last 25 years before that."

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The lab recently released its first poll this election season.

The results show the UCP has a lead in Lethbridge-West with a 10-point gap over the NDP.

The Alberta Liberals are also holding a strong presence with about 14 per cent.

There are similar numbers in Lethbridge-East with the United Conservatives holding a nine-point lead over the incumbent New Democrats.

But a lot can change in the coming weeks, Ellis said.

“Almost 20 per cent undecided in both of those ridings,” he said. “So there are a lot of votes still up for grabs that either of the two leading parties have a legitimate shot at.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Almost 20 per cent undecided in both of those ridings," he said. "So there are a lot of votes still up for grabs that either of the two leading parties have a legitimate shot at."

Ellis said a number of things will sway those undecided voters, including how much effort the parties put into their Lethbridge campaigns.

The poll was conducted from Feb. 9 to 13 and has a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points.