The Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock electoral district included the towns of Barrhead, Morinville, Westlock, Swan Hills, and Legal as well as numerous smaller hamlets.

The riding was created by merging Barrhead-Westlock with the western portion of Redwater which had been split to make Athabasca-Redwater.

Former Speaker of the Assembly Ken Kowalski had served as a member in the area since winning a by-election in 1979.

The 2012 election saw a closely contested race with Progressive Conservative candidate Maureen Kubinec defeating former senator-in-waiting Link Byfield by a few hundred votes to hold the district.

The vote was designed to educate students and simulate the electoral process for persons who have not yet reached the legal majority.