The Alberta Alliance Party, a conservative political party in Alberta, Canada, held its second leadership election on November 18 and 19, 2005, in Red Deer, Alberta. The leadership position was vacated by Alberta Alliance Party founder and leader Randy Thorsteinson in March 2005. Paul Hinman was elected leader on the third ballot, defeating the other candidates, Marilyn Burns, David Crutcher and Ed Klop. Hinman lead the party from this leadership election to the merge with the Wildrose Party of Alberta in 2008. Election results The election was held using a preferential ballot. Members indicated their preferences in order on the ballot. After each round of voting, the candidate receiving the fewest votes was removed from the election, and his or her votes allocated to other candidates on the basis of the voters' indicated preferences. All members who registered or renewed their memberships before October 6, 2005, were mailed a ballot. Members could mail in their ballots or take them to the leadership convention in Red Deer. Ballots had to be mailed in by November 18, 2005 to be eligible. Candidates and platforms Four candidates were officially nominated. Candidates needed 100 party member signatures and a $5,000 deposit to run for leader. Marilyn Burns Campaign slogan: "A Brighter Future, A Better Way" Marilyn Burns: Marilyn Burns is the Alberta Alliance justice critic and candidate for Stony Plain in the 2004 election. Marilyn was the first candidate to get her campaign off the ground. One of her main principles is defending Alberta's provincial rights, under a heavily expanded version of the Alberta Agenda. She is a lawyer, politician and mother of four from Edmonton Alberta. Informal polls have shown her to be fighting for the lead in the race with David Crutcher. David Crutcher Campaign slogan: "A new Alberta" David Crutcher, a member of the Progressive Group for Independent business, backed by Craig Chandler, ran in Calgary-Egmont, and won the largerst percentage of the popular vote of any Alliance candidate in Calgary in the 2004 election. Supports an Alberta provincial tax on consumer goods Supports publicly funded alternative medicine in order to save money and resources Opposes same-sex marriage and abortion Supports Alberta's separation from Canada if the Conservative Party of Canada didn't win in the upcoming federal election. Paul Hinman Campaign slogan: "Moving Forward" Paul Hinman: deputy leader of the Alberta Alliance and the party's only current Member of the Legislative