Close races in Alberta ridings could mean strong voter turnout in advance polls: expert [Video]

Advance polls for the upcoming federal election open on Friday and there are predictions that close races, both nationally and in a number of Alberta ridings,  could translate to strong voter turnout.

“Anytime people really feel like their vote can make a difference and it matters to them who wins, we see those numbers go up, and this is competitive election,” said Mount Royal University political scientist, Lori Williams.

“The polls are still relatively close, so we could still be looking at the difference between majority minority government,” added Williams.

With many riding boundaries being redrawn and three new ridings added in Alberta, several races could be closer than usual.

In Calgary, Williams said Calgary Confederation, Calgary McKnight, Calgary Skyview and Calgary Centre could be close races.

In Edmonton, there are now nine ridings, after one was added and the ridings of most of the others redrawn.

“We’re seeing province-wide …