Alberta election ballots to be counted Monday

Last Alberta election, all of the vote-anywhere-votes were taken to one central office where volunteers started running them through the tabulators after the polls closed.

This meant a delay of a few days before every vote was counted. But this year will be different.

While the last election’s delay didn’t change the outcome of anything, Robyn Bell with Elections Alberta says some voters didn’t like that.

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“It ultimately led to people kind of feeling like their vote didn’t matter because the election was still called on election night,” she said.

Which is why the decision was made to make a change for this year.

“All of the votes received during advanced voting, at advanced voting stations, are counted by tabulator and they’re going to be counted on election night,” Bell added.

Elections Alberta says the tabulators are kept secure at each returning office and when the polls close Monday at 8 p.m., they’re unlocked, the results are printed off and and then entered into the system by elections workers.

For those who cast their vote Monday, your ballot will be hand-counted at the end of the night.