People in the riding of Calgary-Lougheed head to the polls Thursday as United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney takes on both the Liberal and Green Party leaders, among other candidates, in what's also the first electoral test of his new party.

The riding became vacant when MLA Dave Rodney stepped down to allow Kenney — a former federal Conservative cabinet minister who helped spearhead a merger of Alberta's Wildrose and Progressive Conservative parties — to run for a seat in the provincial legislature under the new UCP banner.

It's unusual in that two other party leaders are also vying for the seat: David Khan, who took over as leader of the Alberta Liberal Party in June, and Green Party Leader Romy Tittel.

Calgary-Lougheed has been held by the Progressive Conservative Party since it was created in 1993.

Voting locations are open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.  

Here are the other candidates in the race:

  • Larry Heather, Independent.
  • Wayne Leslie, Independent.
  • Lauren Thorsteinson, Reform Party.
  • Phillip van der Merwe, Alberta NDP.

CBC Calgary profiled the candidates for the major parties:

Interest in the race is high, judging from the early voting tally. Four days of advance polls last week drew 3,534 early voters, an increase of 71 per cent over the last time people in the riding went to the polls.

In the 2015 general election, 2,062 advance votes were cast, Elections Alberta said in a release Monday.

Elections Alberta is using automated vote tabulators for the first time in this byelection.

The innovation, which have been used successfully in other provinces, is expected to allow officials to release results much faster. 

​More information on the byelection is available from Elections Alberta.