Voters of two minds on PCs

Albertans don’t want an election and are fed up with the governing Progressive Conservatives — yet they don’t feel any other party is a viable opposition, according to two polls taken online and by phone around Tuesday’s election call.

“It gives some insight ( into) some of the conflicting sentiments that voters are dealing with, and how these things can make it difficult for them to make decisions during elections,” said Marc Henry, president of ThinkHQ.

The Calgary firm surveyed 1,835 Albertans online April 2- 6 about their attitudes around the vote.

Toronto- based Mainstreet Technologies conducted a similar phone poll using interactive voice response of 3,067 Albertans on April 7 and found similar results.

“There doesn’t seem to be a lot of faith in that there’s really a viable alternative at this point,” said Quito Maggi, president of Mainstreet.

Both polls come a day after the same two companies forecasted a tight three- way race among the PCs, NDP and Wildrose — results all three parties and the bruised Liberals were quick to talk down.

Henry says Albertans are “grumbly” about last month’s budget, the Wildrose floor- crossings, and an election that has 61 per cent of those polled saying they’re “not excited” to vote for any party.

“When things are done which seem to undermine this notion of potentially having a stronger opposition, they don’t react well to it,” Henry said.

Albertans’ strongest concern, according to the ThinkHQ poll, is having a strong second party, with 87 per cent of respondents saying, “Alberta needs to have a strong opposition to keep the government honest.”

Meanwhile, 71 per cent of those surveyed are not happy about the nine Wildrose MLAs who crossed to the PCs last December.

The most damning figure for the government: 29 per cent of PC supporters feel their own party “is arrogant and elitist,” according to ThinkHQ. That number jumps to a 91- 93 per cent range among supporters of the other main parties.

Mainstreet found even 25 per cent of PC supporters feel it’s time for a change in government, compared with 66 per cent overall.

“The notion that the PCs are tired and 43 years is time for change: that resonates with people. But on the same turn, this notion that the NDP or the Wildrose are too extreme also resonates with a specific audience,” said Henry.

Henry’s poll showed that 42 per cent of respondents don’t trust any of the opposition parties to actually form a government.

Mainstream’s poll found that 46 per cent of respondents would trust one of the opposition parties, while 29 per cent say no, and a quarter aren’t sure.

Maggi says that’s to be expected when each party leader wasn’t part of the 2012 race. “There isn’t a lot of experience there. If they went to form government, what would their front bench look like?” he said.

Henry predicts that if polls show any party has a real chance of toppling the PCs right before the election, voters will run for the exits and head back to the PCs.

Wildrose Leader Brian Jean noted the 2012 campaign showed his party leading the PCs — only to lose the election to the Tories. Liberal Leader David Swann said polls disproportionally affect how Albertans make political choices.

Mainstreet’s phone poll carries an overall margin of error of plus or minus 1.78 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. As an online poll, ThinkHQ’s survey does not have a margin of error.