CTV News spoke to several undecided voters ahead of the April 16 election to get their takes on the issues, and what they’re doing to get ready to vote. 

 

Brad Pinhorn - Supervisor at Oilfield Service Company

How interested are you in politics?

  • Very interested to the point where I am curious as to what direction this election will end pointing us.

How invested are you in this election?

  • Very invested in this election and every election for that fact, it is one of the few times we have a say in what happens in our province and country.

Why are you an undecided voter at this point?

  • Usually I am undecided until I get a chance to read all the platforms and where each party is placing their focus for the next 4 years. I was a big Wildrose supporter since I moved to Alberta from the east coast in 2005, their views were just different enough where they would want to invest in the future yet still maintain current economy and kept the Conservatives honest with how they ran things, since the merger with the conservatives and Kenney took the reign I question if a UCP government is the way to go since he has already established a “top down” policy and plans to scrap many good things the current NDP government has put in place, I mean is the carbon tax really that bad?? We are still one of the lowest taxed provinces in the country, if a “leader” has to question investing in things like healthcare and education just to save a couple bucks that is not who I want running my province.

What issues matter most to you?

  • Education and investing in the oil industry to make it less susceptible to the “boom or bust” that it has been since the 80’s

What do you want to hear from candidates and/or the leaders? What will it take to earn your vote?

  • Investment in the future is what will win my vote, a clear path going forward, not complaining what the previous government has done and how quick they will abolish what they did.

How are you planning to get the information you need to make your decision?

  • I will continue to read platforms and see what the individuals running in my area are bringing their focus towards.

 

Seraphina Piper King

How interested are you in politics?

  • I am very interested in politics coming from a family where politics were and sometimes still are dominant. My father used to be minister of Education (David King) during the Lougheed reign. He always taught us that our vote always matters and to research who will do the job.

How invested are you in this election?

  • I am very invested in this election. I am concerned for my future and that of Alberta's as we are being really hurt by all the negativity.

Why are you an undecided voter at this point?

  • I am undecided for many reasons. Both UCP and NDP offer valid points that I can get with but at the same time have hurt me in the end. Before the NDP got into office I was in a PC Gov program to help me find and get a job. When the NDP got in power, that program was gutted and I was later forced to get on AISH. With the NDP in power, tryign to get work is near impossible with the new minimum wage increase as now it makes employers not want to higher people with disabilities such as myself.

What issues matter most to you?

  • What matters to me in this election is who will bring Alberta out of debt, be able to balance the budget but at the same time be able to work "FOR" Albertans and not a paycheck to line their pockets.

What do you want to hear from candidates and/or the leaders? What will it take to earn your vote?

  • What I want to hear from the candidates is that they will work to get Albertans Jobs, including the marginalized such as myself. I want to hear that they will work to bring order to a chaotic government and also work for those of minority, not of "Popularity". The NDP say and want one thing, the UCP say and want to do another. Right now I'm on the fence because I'd be voting for either the Devil I know or the Devil I don't. The UCP/PC rule left Alberta in Shambles but at the same time they took care of Albertans, The NDP Want more socialist involvement. It's like TRUMP vs SANDERS Alberta Style. I want to sit down with a candidate and talk. Just talk about my concerns and not be bullied. I was told by one UCP pollster that if I didn't vote UCP that "Im a fucking idiot". I made a complaint against them with the Commissioners office but regardless I still wanna hear from them on their objectives. As for information. I'm going to research everything from now till then.

How are you planning to get the information you need to make your decision?

  • I plan on researching through their campaign offices, online sites and through their online searchings. I am steering clear of social media as not to influence my vote

 

Natasha Larsen

How interested are you in politics?

  • I'd say not really interested but since its election time my interest has increased. I feel like last time I didn't educate myself enough so I feel like it's more important this time around.

Why are you an undecided voter at this point?

  • I am undecided because I see benefits of both of the main parties UCP & NDP however they both have negatives.

What issues matter most to you?

  • I'm looking at issues like healthcare, jobs and pipelines. What type of future Alberta has. Candidates and leaders sugar coat a lot of things to outshine other things they might do, it's hard to trust any party for that.

How are you planning to get the information you need to make your decision?

  • I talk to my peers, read information online, I'd be open to talking to candidates however I do not do well in high pressure situations. I've come close to a decision but I want to keep an open mind since things like to change

 

Paul Strandlund - Web and Digital Leader

How interested are you in politics?

  • I am always interested in the political process. I ran for Mayor of Regina 25 years ago (didn't win but didn't finish last either) and have worked either for Crown Corporations or government for most of my life. I am not a fan of this trend over the past few years of political bashing. I want candidates to tell me what they will do and stop telling me what their opponents will or won't do. I'm sure I'll be watching the returns on election night and looking at the data to see what regions did what.

How invested are you in this election?

  • I'm not 100% invested in this one. I am thinking that many people have made up their minds years ago and are too vested in voting along party lines no matter what. I am not a person to try and convince others on how to vote, but I will encourage them to vote. I honestly think we are going to have a rural/urban split again and there isn't a lot that can be done about that. Calgary is going to be the battleground city and that's were the final decision will be made.

Why are you an undecided voter at this point?

  • I am always undecided until just before I go vote. I would rather do my homework and learn the planks of the platforms of each of the candidates in my area and also learn what kind of person they are. I will vote for the candidate that best matches my views and beliefs. I have some issues that are very black and white to me and those can eliminate a candidate immediately. It is in the other issues where I could go either way that really make me work to choose a candidate. I really wish that more voters did the same. An uneducated electorate can be a real danger to everything. And uneducated electorate is the root cause behind a governing party's ability to demand voting along party lines when in power. Our elected representatives should be able to voice their opinion and vote for what best serves the people they serve.

What issues matter most to you?

  • Well, it's not the carbon tax or education system. I have no problem with paying a bit more to save the planet and I have no children. As long as we have an education system, then I am happy :) I think the biggest issue for me is reproductive rights of both men and women and getting a fair price for our oil on the world market. I don't think that any party can solve the economic woes we are having as the economy is driven by a lot more forces than the Province controls. My last important issue falls into the area of protectionism. Are we going to be a world player or are we going to close our borders to everyone?

What do you want to hear from candidates and/or the leaders? What will it take to earn your vote?

  • I want to hear what they are going to do and what they believe. I don't want to hear what their opponent will or won't do. Attack politics are the worst. It's a scare tactic and is a form of terrorism at it's worst. Scaring the people to vote a certain way is not the way to build a strong government. I want to hear from the leaders what the big issues are that affect the Province as a whole and I want to hear from my candidate what they will do on a more local basis. To earn my vote, the candidate has to actually answer my question. If they engage in double speak or prevarication, that is a real deal breaker. It tells me they haven't done their homework either. I also want to see strong leadership from the party leaders and if a candidate does something stupid or says or does something that goes against societal norms, the leader better act quickly and decisively.

How are you planning to get the information you need to make your decision?

  • Most of my information will come from the media itself. I will also rely on the websites of the candidates and if I can make any debates I will. I won't attend a leader's debate as I can't vote for any of them. None are in my riding so I have less interest in what they are debating.
  • That being said, I would also like to see the media do a better job of getting information to the public. The media controls a lot of what we hear and how we hear it. I would like to see the media actually get answers from candidates. If you ask a candidate a yes/no question, there better be a yes/no answer and if there isn't call out the candidate. And if they continue to stall or answer around the question, report that. State it flatly that you asked a yes/no question and didn't get an answer. The unwillingness to answer a question is also very telling. In too many elections, the media has been content to let candidates get away with not answering questions and this has to stop.

 

Rian Vandepolder - Born and Raised Albertan

How interested are you in politics?

  • Overall I would say that I am not that interested in the actual “politics”. it is what I would call “a necessary evil“ needed to get to the end result of an election.

How invested are you in this election?

  • I feel that I, along with probably a lot of others, am more invested this time ‘round. Interest and concern seem to increase as you get older. Not only for yourself but for the future of your children, grandchildren etc.

Why are you an undecided voter at this point?

  • As far as personalities, I like Rachel, I don’t like Jason, I like Stephen, I don’t like Fildepockets. I know I can’t vote strictly on a personality so that is why I need to take the time to research the planks and platforms.

What issues matter most to you?

  • The economy, which in Alberta is synonymous with energy. I would normally say “oil and gas” rather than “energy” but we need to look forward to other sources of energy such as natural gas/LNG, solar, wind… I know that there are some diehard oil and gas Albertans out there who would rather invest in cloning dinosaurs, killing them off and waiting another 63 million years to keep our oilsands going, but the sun always shines and the wind always blows.
  • Seniors. I’m 60, a baby boomer, and in my work I visit seniors every day. At my age it won’t be long before seniors issues affect me directly.
  • Healthcare. Not just for seniors but from in-utero onward. Including healthcare research.
  • Employment and Education. These go hand in hand.

What do you want to hear from candidates and/or the leaders?

  • It’s not so much what I want to hear as it is the actions that I want to see. Part of “politics“ tends to be saying one thing and doing nothing. Let’s see some class and hear some honesty.

What will it take to earn your vote?

  • Something that will shock me and have me say “Wow! That’s a hell of a good idea.”