The conclusion of the race for Edmonton’s mayor will have to wait until at least Tuesday morning, with vote counting halted at 1 a.m. The counting is scheduled to recommence at 9 a.m. on Tuesday following the closure of all voting stations, which ran over two hours past the initial deadline on Monday night.
Numerous polling locations across Edmonton experienced significant delays, particularly in central and northern Alberta, where wait times exceeded an hour. Election officials emphasized that voters in line by 8 p.m. were entitled to cast their ballots.
Edmonton Elections reported an unofficial voter turnout of 30.27%, with 205,758 out of 679,830 eligible voters participating, marking the lowest turnout since 2007. The 2021 election witnessed a record-breaking 236,000 voters casting their votes.
By 1:25 a.m. on Monday, early unofficial results indicated Andrew Knack leading the mayoral race with 20,540 votes, trailed by Tim Cartmell with 15,645 votes out of 48 of 236 polls reporting. Meanwhile, all wards in Edmonton also began reporting preliminary results by that time.
In parallel, Elections Calgary reported over 327,000 unofficially counted votes in their mayoral race by 1:35 a.m. on Tuesday, with 349 out of 380 polls reporting.
The municipal elections in Alberta encompass numerous local governments, including 19 cities, 105 towns, 78 villages, and 63 municipal districts and counties, alongside 61 school board elections conducted on Monday.
The absence of incumbent Mayor Amarjeet Sohi in the running has led to the election of a new mayor from a pool of 13 candidates in Edmonton. Additionally, 81 candidates are competing for 12 city council seats across the municipal wards.
Reports from voters in Edmonton highlighted extended wait times for voting on Monday, with the process being affected by new election rules. Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Williams stressed that municipalities had ample time to devise effective plans following the announcement of the new rules in 2024.
With a shift from electronic voting tabulators to manual counting for this year’s municipal elections in Alberta, the preliminary vote count is expected to conclude by Tuesday. The official election results are mandated to be finalized by noon on Friday, as outlined by the City of Edmonton’s website.