Edmonton’s municipal election faced delays in voting and counting due to various factors, according to Edmonton Elections. The city’s election agency attributed the delays to labor shortages, power outages, and technological issues in a statement released on Tuesday afternoon.
Polls were supposed to close at 8 p.m. MT on Monday, but extended voting hours were necessary at some locations to accommodate long lines, with initial results arriving just before 10:30 p.m. Counting was briefly halted at 1 a.m. on Tuesday but resumed at 9 a.m. to determine the new mayor and council members for Edmonton.
Tim Cartmell conceded the race around 2 p.m., congratulating three-term city councillor Andrew Knack as the mayor-elect of Edmonton. Despite the delays, results were still being tallied, with no official winners announced yet.
Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Williams commented on the situation, pointing out that municipalities had sufficient time to prepare for the election under new rules introduced in the spring of 2024. He emphasized the importance of efficient counting processes for municipalities with substantial budget responsibilities.
Some municipalities managed to deliver timely results, but Edmonton faced challenges due to labor shortages and technical issues, as stated by Williams. Drew Westwater, a retired deputy chief electoral officer at Elections Alberta, mentioned the difficulty in predicting staffing needs for such a count, especially for those inexperienced with manual election processes.
Various municipal leaders, including Coun. Michael Janz and Coun. Aaron Paquette, expressed concerns over the election process and the costs associated with the changes in provincial legislation. They highlighted the need for improvements to prevent similar issues in future elections.
Edmonton Elections reported that 30% of votes were released on the election night, with counting continuing at the Edmonton Expo Centre the following day. Official results were expected to be released as the ballots were verified and counted.
The voter turnout for this election was reported at 30.27%, with 205,758 out of 679,830 eligible voters participating. This marked the lowest turnout since 2007, highlighting the importance of addressing challenges to encourage higher voter participation in Edmonton’s future elections.
