Advance polls open Friday in a historic federal byelection in the Alberta riding of Battle River-Crowfoot.

For the first time ever, Elections Canada will require voters to fill out a blank ballot.

The agency lists a record 214 candidates running in the rural riding, with the official voting day set for Aug. 18.

The majority of the candidates are part of the Longest Ballot Committee, a protest group calling for various changes to Canada’s electoral system.

Prime Minister Mark Carney called the byelection in June after Conservative Damien Kurek, who handily won the seat in the April general election, stepped down so Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre could run.

Poilievre lost his long-held Ottawa seat of Carleton in the last federal election, held on April 28, 2025.

The byelection

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