From 1924 to 1952, the district used
instant-runoff voting to elect its MLA. The Bow Valley electoral district was formed in 1913 from the
Gleichen and
Lethbridge District electoral districts. Bow Valley would be abolished prior to the
1940 Alberta general election, primarily forming
Bow Valley-Empress electoral district, and a small portion added to
Edson electoral district. Bow Valley was revived in the 1970 electoral district re-distribution from the Bow Valley-Empress electoral district. In the 1996 electoral district re-distribution, the Bow Valley electoral district was abolished and the territory was divided among
Strathmore-Brooks,
Drumheller-Chinook and
Cypress-Medicine Hat electoral districts. The Electoral Boundaries Commission drafted the report with the intention of the Strathmore-Brooks electoral district retaining the name "Bow Valley".
Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) The
1926 Alberta general election would be the first held under
single transferable vote in rural districts.
Liberal leader
Joseph Tweed Shaw came in second in the first count to
United Farmers of Alberta candidate Ben S. Plumer. However, as per the rules of
Instant-runoff voting, Plumer was not declared elected because he did not have a majority of the votes. After the least popular candidate was eliminated and his votes transferred, Shaw accumulated a majority and was declared elected. Shaw won the district by one vote. ==Election results==