1982 Alberta general election facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
1982 Alberta general election

← 1979 November 2, 1982 (1982-11-02) 1986 →
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79 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta 40 seats were needed for a majority
Turnout	66.00%
Majority party Minority party Third party   PC NDP WCC Leader Peter Lougheed Grant Notley Gordon Kesler Party Progressive Conservative New Democratic Western Canada Concept Leader since 1965 1968 1982 Leader's seat Calgary-West Spirit River-Fairview ran in Highwood (lost) Last election 74 seats, 57.4% 1 seat, 15.8% pre-creation Seats before 73 1 1 Seats won 75 2 0 Seat change 2 1 1 Popular vote 588,485 177,166 111,131 Percentage 62.3% 18.7% 11.8% Swing 4.9% 2.9% —   Fourth party Fifth party   SC ARM Leader George Richardson Tom Sindlinger Party Social Credit Reform Movement Leader since 1982 1982 Leader's seat ran in Whitecourt (lost) Calgary-Buffalo (lost re-election) Last election 4 seats, 19.9% pre-creation Seats before 1 1 Seats won 0 0 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 7,843 6,258 Percentage 0.8% 0.7% Swing 19.1% —
Premier before election Peter Lougheed Progressive Conservative Premier after election Peter Lougheed Progressive Conservative

The 1982 Alberta general election was a big election held in the Canadian province of Alberta on November 2, 1982. During this election, people voted for who they wanted to represent them in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. This is like choosing the team that will run the province.

About the 1982 Alberta Election

This election was the twentieth time Alberta held a general election. It was a chance for citizens to pick the members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. These members then work together to make laws and decisions for the province.

How Elections Work in Alberta

In Alberta, a general election is held every few years. People vote for a candidate in their local area, called an electoral district. The candidate who gets the most votes in that area wins a "seat" in the Legislative Assembly.

To form a government, a political party needs to win more than half of all the seats. In 1982, there were 79 seats available. This meant a party needed at least 40 seats to have a majority and form the government.

Who Ran in the Election?

Many different political parties and independent candidates took part in the 1982 election. Each party had a leader and a set of ideas about how to run Alberta. Voters chose based on these ideas and the candidates themselves.

The main parties included:

• The Progressive Conservatives (PC), led by Peter Lougheed.
• The New Democrats (NDP), led by Grant Notley.
• The Western Canada Concept (WCC), led by Gordon Kesler.
• The Liberals, led by Nicholas Taylor.
• The Social Credit party, led by George Richardson.
• The Alberta Reform Movement, led by Tom Sindlinger.
• Independent candidates, who did not belong to any political party.

Results of the 1982 Election

The election took place on November 2, 1982. A large number of people voted, with about 66% of eligible voters participating. This is called the voter turnout.

The Progressive Conservative Party won the election by a large margin. They won 75 out of 79 seats. This was a very strong victory for them. Their leader, Peter Lougheed, continued to be the Premier of Alberta.

The New Democrats came in second. They won 2 seats, which was one more than they had before. Their leader was Grant Notley.

Two independent candidates also won seats. These were people who ran without being part of a major political party.

Other parties, like the Western Canada Concept, Liberals, Social Credit, and Alberta Reform Movement, did not win any seats in this election.

Popular Vote Details

The "popular vote" means the total number of votes each party received from all voters.

• The Progressive Conservatives received 62.28% of all votes.
• The New Democrats received 18.75% of all votes.
• The Western Canada Concept received 11.76% of all votes.
• Independent candidates received 3.87% of all votes.
• The Liberals received 1.81% of all votes.
• Social Credit received 0.83% of all votes.
• The Alberta Reform Movement received 0.66% of all votes.
• The Communist Party received 0.04% of all votes.

Members Elected to the Assembly

After the election, 79 people became members of the 20th Alberta Legislative Assembly. These individuals represent their local areas and work together to govern Alberta. Most of them were from the Progressive Conservative Party, but there were also members from the New Democratic Party and some independent members.