Polls have now closed in Calgary and across Alberta - Action News
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Polls have now closed in Calgary and across Alberta

As of 7:30 p.m., polls are now closed in Calgary and across Alberta.

Early results can now be reported

Voters head into a polling station in Calgary Centre to cast their ballots in the 43rd federal election on Monday, Oct. 21, 2019. (Mike Symington/CBC)

As of 7:30 p.m. MT, polls are now closed in Calgary and across Alberta.

Those who are still in line as of that time will still have a chance to vote, but after thatpoll clerks and deputy returning officers will be hard at work counting ballots.

From the time polls close, it takes about 30 to 45 minutes before results for the province's 34 ridings will begin to be reported.

While most Albertans likely cast their votes today, nearlyone-in-five eligible voters in Alberta (578,219 people)already cast their ballots in the advance polls between Oct. 11 and Oct. 14, a 59 per cent increase from 2015's federal election.

Elections Canada says roughly 27.4 million people are eligible to vote at one of the approximately 20,000 polling places across the country.

Conservative support has historically been strong in Alberta. In 2015, the Liberals snagged two seats in Calgary the first time the party picked up seats in the city since 1968.

Voters at oneCalgary Centre polling station expressed discontent with the tone of the campaign.

Rick Bennetts told CBC News after casting his ballot that he feels there was "too much negativity and no real solid platforms from anybody."

"There was a lot of mud-slinging and we didn't seem to get to the bottom of the matter. I felt that it was left to myself to get the information I needed to make an appropriate vote," Karen Meades said.

Voters line up outside a polling station in Calgary Centre on the evening of Monday, Oct. 21, 2019, to cast their ballots in the 43rd Canadian federal election. (Anis Heydari/CBC)

Calgary Centre isthe only Calgary riding currently held by a Liberal incumbent, and on Sunday volunteers with the different campaignswere making a last-minute push to knock on doors and distribute campaign material,with big plans for election day.

"We have literally hundreds of people signed up in a series of shifts throughout the day," said Heather Mcrae, avolunteer with Liberal candidate Kent Hehr's team. "They are knocking doors, they are calling people, they are texting people, they are scrutineers it's going to be a tremendously busy day."

Geoff Pradella, campaign manager forConservative candidate Greg McLean, said it's been a tough slog for the team of 600 volunteers.

"Calgary Centre is a very important riding, it's almost a symbolic riding, has been for decades. It's the heart of the city," he said. "Both sides are looking to keep it or take it back and both sides are working very hard."

Thana Boonlert, Green candidate for Calgary Centre, said the contested riding gives the smaller party a fighting chance this time around.

"A lot of people from all parties now are looking at the Greens," he said, describing the campaign as a marathon mentality. "If you're not running in the race and you don't have that stamina to keep going, it really shows. That's why we know we have to be competitive and we have to work twice as hard as some of those big parties because we don't have the same resources."

With files from Terri Trembath, Lucie Edwardson