The outcome of the mayoral race in Edmonton remains undecided until at least Tuesday morning, as the vote count was halted at 1 a.m. Officials stated that the counting would recommence at 9 a.m. on Tuesday. All voting locations for the municipal election in Edmonton closed over two hours past the scheduled time on Monday evening. Polling sites across the city experienced prolonged wait times, particularly in central and northern Alberta, with some reporting waits exceeding an hour.
Election authorities emphasized that individuals who were in line by 8 p.m. were permitted to stay until they cast their vote. Unofficial figures from Edmonton Elections indicated a voter turnout of 30.27%, with 205,758 out of 679,830 eligible voters participating. This marks the lowest turnout since 2007 when Stephen Mandel secured re-election with a 27.24% turnout. The 2021 civic election in Edmonton saw a record-breaking 236,000 voters going to the polls.
As of 1:25 a.m. on Monday, unofficial results for 48 of 236 polls for mayor in Edmonton showed Andrew Knack with 20,540 votes and Tim Cartmell with 15,645 votes, among 13 mayoral candidates. By that time, all wards in Edmonton had also reported 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.
The majority of Alberta’s rural and urban local governments, including 19 cities, 105 towns, 78 villages, and 63 municipal districts and counties, are conducting council elections. Additionally, 61 school board elections are taking place on Monday.
In Edmonton, where Mayor Amarjeet Sohi is not running for re-election, voters are choosing a new mayor from the pool of 13 candidates. Furthermore, 81 candidates are contending for the 12 city council seats in each of Edmonton’s municipal wards. Voters can access information about their ward and polling locations on the City of Edmonton website.
Numerous voters in Edmonton faced extended wait times to cast their ballots on Monday. Edmonton Elections mentioned that the voting process changes this year might have influenced the voting duration. Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Williams highlighted that municipalities had ample time since spring 2024 to prepare for the new election rules. Some voters reported waiting for more than 30 minutes, while others waited up to an hour.
This year, all ballots in Alberta’s municipal elections had to be counted by hand due to changes implemented by the provincial government. The preliminary vote count is expected to conclude by Tuesday, with official results mandated to be released by noon on Friday, according to the City of Edmonton’s website.