With a skip in his step, a young man with checkered vans makes his way out of Old Timers Cabin in Edmonton. He just voted at the landmark turned polling station for the day.
“I just hope there’s just enough presence from the other side to keep thing balanced,” Ben Rix says. “To protect us from the insect overlords.”
Insect overlords – maybe not. But it’s almost an ant-like stream of people going in and out of polling stations in Edmonton to vote for Alberta’s next leader.
At NDP Leader Rachel Notley’s riding in Old Strathcona, she’s top of mind for those walking out of the Cabin.
“For me the choice was easy,” says long time resident Avery Stobbe. “Rachel is my candidate. I have no reason to vote any other way.”
“I came here with a clear head. I knew who I was voting for and I hope to continue the positive momentum that we generated in the past four years,” says NDP supporter Kevin Dunsing.
But not everyone is pleased with Notley’s strategy during the 28 day campaign. Dawn Hige is a music teacher in Edmonton and says she didn’t like the tone of Notley’s campaign.
“I’m NDP born, raised and true – but I didn’t like the smear and the name calling. I wish Rachel Notley would have pulled off a bit,” says Hige. “But they didn’t change my choice of vote. I would never consider that.”
As for Rix, he’s happy to be walking out of the polling station for the next four years.
“I’m glad it’s over, once everything is counted we can move past it…until next time.”
