CAMROSE – Polls have closed in the rural Alberta byelection of Battle River—Crowfoot.
The riding was left vacant shortly after the spring general election, when Conservative Damien Kurek stepped down to make way for his party’s leader, Pierre Poilievre.
Poilievre had lost in the Ottawa-area riding of Carleton, after winning that seat seven straight times.
Battle River—Crowfoot is considered one of the safest Conservative seats in the country.
A record 214 names are on the ballot, most of whom are part of a protest movement called the Longest Ballot Committee, which is pushing for electoral reform to replace the first-past-the-post system.
Elections Canada says for the first time ever voters were required to write the name of their preferred candidate on a modified blank ballot.
