A vote recount by Elections Calgary has affirmed Jeromy Farkas as the upcoming mayor of Calgary. Sonya Sharp, the second-place candidate, initiated the recount according to the Local Authorities Election Act. The recount, beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, concluded with updated figures released by Elections Calgary on Tuesday. The results showed Farkas winning with 91,112 votes, surpassing Sharp’s 90,496 votes by a margin of 616 votes.
Before the recount, Farkas had 91,071 votes, while Sharp had 90,490 votes, indicating that both candidates gained votes during the recount process. Sharp justified her call for a recount by highlighting the slim victory margin and the challenging circumstances faced by election workers, such as long lines, new procedures, and manual ballot counting that extended into the early morning hours.
All mayoral votes across Calgary underwent a recount as per the city’s announcement. Following the completion of the recount, Farkas is scheduled to be inaugurated as Calgary’s new mayor on Wednesday at 6 p.m., alongside the newly elected council members. Farkas expressed appreciation for his campaign team, Elections Calgary, and volunteer scrutineers for overseeing this vital aspect of the democratic process.
Farkas acknowledged the effort put into forming a robust city council team for the benefit of Calgarians. He also congratulated Sharp on her campaign and expressed optimism about the public service commitment benefiting Calgarians. CBC News has reached out to Sharp for her response.