The outcome of the mayoral race in Edmonton remains uncertain until at least Tuesday morning, with vote counting halted at 1 a.m. The counting is scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. on Tuesday after all voting stations closed more than two hours late on Monday night. Reports from polling stations across the city indicated extended wait times, particularly in central and northern Alberta, where some voters had to wait over an hour. Election officials emphasized that individuals in line by 8 p.m. were allowed to stay until they could cast their votes.
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. In comparison, the 2021 civic election in Edmonton attracted a record 236,000 voters. As of 1:25 a.m. on Monday, unofficial results showed Andrew Knack leading with 20,540 votes for mayor, followed by Tim Cartmell with 15,645 votes, out of a total of 13 mayoral candidates.
The preliminary results were available for 48 out of 236 polls for mayor by that time, with all wards in Edmonton also reporting early results. In Calgary, as of 1:35 a.m. on Tuesday, over 327,000 votes had been unofficially counted in the mayoral race, with 349 out of 380 polls reporting.
Across Alberta, numerous rural and urban local governments, including municipalities with city status, towns, villages, municipal districts, and counties, are conducting council elections, along with 61 school board elections on Monday.
In Edmonton, where Mayor Amarjeet Sohi opted not to seek re-election, voters are selecting a new mayor from among 13 candidates. Additionally, 81 candidates are vying for the 12 city council seats in each of Edmonton’s municipal wards. Voters can access information on their ward and polling locations on the City of Edmonton website.
Numerous voters encountered long wait times in Edmonton on Monday, with some reporting delays of up to an hour. Edmonton Elections attributed these delays to changes in the voting process this year. Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Williams stated that municipalities had ample time to prepare for the new election rules introduced in the spring of 2024.
Hand counting of all ballots was mandated this year due to changes in Alberta’s municipal election procedures, replacing electronic voting tabulators. The mayoral ballots were to be counted first, followed by councillor and school trustee ballots. The preliminary vote count was expected to be finalized by Tuesday, with official results due by noon on Friday.
Unofficial results and updates can be found on the City of Edmonton’s website.