CALGARY—In an election that is becoming known for negative campaigning and vicious back-and-forth between the leaders of the two front-running parties, some voters are looking for a reasonable third option. And for many voters, that option may be the Alberta Party.

Tyler Henke works in the oil and gas sector and lives in the Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills riding. He voted Wildrose in the 2015 provincial election, and voted Progressive Conservative before that. He said his area is strongly conservative, and while he’s looking for fiscally conservative policies, he feels more socially progressive than the impression he’s getting from the United Conservative Party.

“I have young kids, and I really want to look out for their future, both socially and financially,” he said. “I find the Alberta Party … covers both those concerns for me.”

During and after the televised leaders’ debate April 4, where NDP Leader Rachel Notley and United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney battled it out while Alberta Liberal Party Leader David Khan and Alberta Party Leader Stephen Mandel tried to get words in edgewise, Google searches for “Alberta Party” spiked, according to Google Trends.

Mount Royal University political science professor Duane Bratt said the negativity between the NDP and UCP may be turning many voters like Henke toward a third option.

“There’s a big polarization between the other two parties,” Bratt said, referring to the NDP and the UCP. He said this may lead voters who agree with the UCP’s fiscal priorities but lean toward the NDP’s social policies to seek out a balance between the two.

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“That’s how the Alberta Party has tried to position itself,” said Bratt, adding that though the party has been around for a while, this is the first time it has run a full slate of candidates, and the first time it has had a spot at the leaders’ debate.

“There’s greater awareness of the Alberta Party now than there was a week ago,” he said.

Henke, however, has been looking into the Alberta Party since the 2015 election closed, and even bought a membership before Mandel was elected as leader. He’s looking in particular at the party’s education platform, as well as its stance on LGBTQ rights. He said this election period has solidified his already strong vote for the Alberta Party, and that he has been turned off by the negative campaign tactics of both the NDP and the UCP.

“All I’m hearing is what the leaders won’t do, not what they will do,” he said, adding he’s trying to spread awareness for the party in his community. Though he doesn’t see a landslide victory, by any means, he hopes the increased support will give the party a stronger presence in the next provincial election.

“It’s hard to push people towards the middle,” Henke said.

Weston Sandberg, a teacher in Airdrie, voted NDP in the 2015 election for the first time. His vote tends to be on the liberal side, he said, but this time, the Alberta Party is grabbing his attention.

A strategic voter, Sandberg said he’s happy with the Alberta Party’s social policies and hopes the candidate in his riding will have enough support to win the vote from the UCP contender.

“I think they have a legitimate shot, especially in rural areas,” said Sandberg.

Scott Hofstetter, a Calgary resident who works in the non-profit sector, also voted NDP in the last election. He said he tends to vote for specific candidates based on the issues in his riding, rather than for parties, and over the years, he has voted for parties across the spectrum.

This year, Hofstetter said his worries about the economy have influenced his vote, but so have his beliefs in the importance of diversification.

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“We’re so reliant on oil,” he said. “It is becoming the only issue in Alberta, even though we are dealing with a bunch of different issues.”

Hofstetter said he has friends who are gay, and as such doesn’t feel comfortable voting for the UCP. However, he’s also critical of the party’s platforms on climate change and corporate taxes, and said he feels this election is being run on ideology instead of ideas.

“We need people who are willing to just run the government,” he said. “It’s not about left, it’s not about right, it’s about running Alberta.”

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