Calgarians head to the polls on municipal election day

Calgary residents turned out to cast their ballots Monday as civic election day got underway, with polling stations opening at 10 a.m. across the city.

While many voters reported a smooth experience, others encountered delays and confusion as they tried to make their voices heard.

At Captain Nichola Goddard School, several voters described the process as straightforward and efficient.

“I think it went very quickly and there wasn’t anything that I could describe as a waste of time,” said Chigozirim Agubulom.

Adebayo Adejuwon echoed the sentiment, noting, “It was good. Well, we started a little bit late, but everything went well.”

However, not all polling stations ran as smoothly. At Ernest Manning High School in southwest Calgary, voters faced wait times of up to an hour.

“Not as bad as 1.5 hours, but pretty slow. Probably 50 minutes to an hour,” said Matthew Commodore.

Jim Iuliani expressed frustration after being redirected from one polling station to another due to conflicting information.

“It’s just taking too long. This is the second polling station I’ve come to,” he said.

Polls closed at 8 p.m., but Elections Calgary confirmed that anyone in line by that time will still be allowed to vote.

Some locations experienced longer wait times but Elections Calgary reported that by Monday afternoon, approximately 46 per cent of polling stations had wait times under 20 minutes. More than 200,000 votes were cast as of 9:30 p.m.

Despite the hiccups, many voters remained optimistic about the impact of their participation.

“I voted for councillor, for mayor, and for school trustee and definitely it will count,” said Yousef Sjroon.

Tomiwa Adejuwon added, “Every vote does count, and I think it’s going to be a close race. I think everyone should come out and vote and make sure that their voices are heard.”

More information on voting and candidates can be found here. CityNews will have election results for Calgary and the surrounding area.