Boundary changes were about democracy, not politics
By Lethbridge Herald on November 26, 2025.
Editor:
As the Alberta Electoral Boundaries Commission consulted on the design of new ridings for the next provincial election, they clearly heard a diversity of views about Lethbridge ridings.
At one end of this range of perspectives are those who feel strongly that the existing boundaries should be preserved. That’s fair; what isn’t legitimate, though, is to accuse other perspectives of being anti-democratic, as Dr. O’Donnell did in his opinion column taking MLA Neudorf to task for suggesting consideration of alternatives.
He claims that Mr. Neudorf “seeks to erase the very constituency that elected him” – as though the proposed change to riding boundaries would somehow remove Lethbridge from the electoral map, instead of simply including city voters in the very normal process of redistribution.
Anyone who has read the Commission’s interim report will have seen that they go to some length to demonstrate the legitimacy of hybrid (urban-rural) ridings in providing “effective representation” to Albertans. The Commission chose not to avail themselves of this option in Lethbridge for their interim proposal, but there’s certainly no justification to say that an MLA advocating for this legitimate option is somehow undermining democracy.
If anything, the opposite is true. Many MLAs, comfortable with their existing connections and known regions, advocate for their ridings to remain unchanged.
That Mr. Neudorf is willing to sacrifice his own ease so that Lethbridge and area can be more effectively represented speaks well of his spirit of service to the community and the region.
It’s unfair to attribute malice to his considered attempt to participate positively in a mandatory process.
Marc Slingerland
Lethbridge
11-10
The definition of gerrymandering: “the manipulation of an electoral constituency’s boundaries as to favour one party or class.”
Many of us recognized this immediately, and because many of us now, look at the modus operandi of the UCP with a jaundiced eye, recognized this for what it really, is.
The Lethbridge-East riding was won by the UCP by 148 votes (UCP-10,998, NDP-10,362, Liberal-488). It is a no brainer that bringing a rural component to this riding, as probably thought by the UCP, probably would secure it more, for the UCP. Unless, rural voters are finally, coming to realizations about the UCP.
This idea of gerrymandering would not have come from one individual UCP MLA, this would have come from the top.
i suppose this is one example of why you are ever rejected at the polls – you come off as “full of it”.
as well noted by so. ab., the move is gerrymandering so as to ensure a more favourably biased outcome at the polls for the ucp. lethbridge does not need, nor is it fairly represented, by more rural heavy boundaries – we are now urban.
indeed, it should not go unnoticed that dear mr neudorf won by a few hundred votes – under the gerrymandering i expect he or another con named fence post would win by a much greater margn.