Hand-counting ballots could delay Calgary election results

Calgarians may not know who their next mayor is on election night, as Elections Calgary prepares for a slower ballot-counting process due to a provincial ban on electronic tabulators.

With ballots now being counted entirely by hand, officials say it could take up to two days to finalize results from the Oct. 20 municipal election.

Returning Officer Kate Martin says the change marks a significant shift from previous years.

“The process is significantly different,” Martin said during a media briefing, where reporters simulated a vote count.

The result was just 20 ballots counted in 12 minutes.

In the 2021 election, Mayor Jyoti Gondek was able to deliver a victory speech by 9:30 p.m.—just 90 minutes after polls closed. This year, however, Elections Calgary estimates it will take three to four hours to count day-of votes on election night.

Advance ballots, which typically account for about half of all votes, won’t be fully counted until the following day. While the mayoral ballots will be tallied on election night, results for councillors and school board trustees are expected to continue into Oct. 21.

“All day-of votes will be counted that night,” Martin said. “So we could have an idea of who is leading in each ward, but Elections Calgary won’t be finished counting until about 2:30 the following day.”

In May 2024, the Alberta government passed Bill 20, which bans the use of electronic voting tabulators in municipal elections starting in October 2025. Premier Danielle Smith’s government said the move is intended to restore public confidence in the electoral process by returning to hand-counted paper ballots.

The shift is expected to cost the city an additional $3.3 million, covering more voting stations, extra staff, and supplies.

Advance voting runs from Oct. 6 to 11, with election day set for Oct. 20.