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Calgary Herald

Here's what you need to know about Alberta's upcoming three byelections

The province has called three byelections for the end of June, two in Edmonton and one in rural Alberta. Article content Chief electoral officer Gordon McClure confirmed writs were issued on May 26 to administer byelections for Edmonton-Strathcona, Edmonton-Ellerslie, and Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills. Article content Article content Here's why this is happening, when Albertans can head to the polls and what is the timeline. Article content Article content Article content In Alberta there are currently three vacant seats. Article content Under Section 32 of the Legislative Assembly Act, once a vacancy occurs, the clerk must issue and deliver a warrant to the chief electoral officer to issue a writ for the election of the vacant seat. An election must be held within six months of the warrant being delivered. In December, former premier Rachel Notley stepped down as the MLA for Edmonton-Strathcona, leaving the seat vacant. The byelection for the riding had to be called by the end of June. Article content In March, Rod Loyola, the former MLA for Edmonton-Ellerslie, stepped down from his role to run for the federal Liberal party in the 2025 election, leaving the seat empty. Article content Article content Alberta Speaker Nathan Cooper accepted a new role as the province's representative in Washington, D.C., and said he would be stepping down as MLA for Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills in June. Article content Article content While each of the constituencies technically have a different deadline for the latest a byelection has to be called, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith previously said she intended to call all three at the same time.