EDMONTON — A strong majority of Albertans believe the provincial government is redrawing electoral boundaries to bolster its own political interests, according to a newly released Probe Research poll.
The online survey, which polled 1,484 Albertans between April 27 and May 6, 2026, revealed widespread public opposition to the United Conservative Party (UCP) government’s decision to replace an independent process with an MLA-led panel.
According to the data, 68 per cent of respondents overall believe electoral maps should be drawn by an independent commission rather than elected officials. Robson Fletcher, a data and storytelling strategist with Probe Research, noted that this sentiment uniquely crossed partisan lines, with 66 per cent of UCP supporters agreeing that the process should remain independent.
Furthermore, six in ten Albertans surveyed believe the UCP’s true motive is to secure a new set of boundaries that would maximize the party’s chances of winning more seats in the next provincial election. Fletcher stated that even a slim majority of UCP supporters felt the decision was a strategic government move designed to help them win.
The public pushback follows a controversial motion passed by the provincial government last month. The UCP voted to throw out the recommendations of a bipartisan, independent commission and instead established a special committee consisting of six legislature members—four UCP MLAs and two NDP MLAs—to oversee a total review of the maps.
The scrapped independent commission report, which was released publicly in April, had presented two sharply conflicting viewpoints. The majority opinion suggested cutting two rural seats and creating new ridings in Calgary and Edmonton to account for urban population growth. Conversely, a minority opinion put forth by two UCP appointees recommended a hybrid model that would blend urban and rural voters, effectively protecting rural representation.
The UCP caucus defended the reset by pointing to an addendum in the commission’s report, which noted that adding two extra seats—bringing the total to 91 legislative divisions—would help provide more effective representation without dissolving existing rural communities.
However, the opposition has strongly condemned the move. Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi attacked the new process during a legislature debate, stating it is “not fair and it’s not right,” and alleging that the UCP’s primary objective is to dilute the voices of voters in Calgary and Edmonton.
More recently, the two NDP members appointed to the newly formed boundaries committee, Kathleen Ganley and Christina Gray, issued a joint statement accusing the government of trying to “cheat and rig the next election” by stripping away transparency and control.
The special committee on electoral boundaries is currently scheduled to submit its final conclusions no later than November.
