Alberta municipalities are looking for the provincial government to reconsider its decision to ban electronic vote tabulators in next year’s municipal elections.
A resolution to be presented to delegates at the Alberta Municipalities conference in Red Deer this week calls for the province to allow for the tabulators “to ensure accurate, cost-effective and timely results for Albertan voters.”
The motion to advocate the province to reconsider its decision comes from the City of St. Albert, and is seconded by the Town of Rocky Mountain House.
Cathy Heron, the mayor of St. Albert, told QR Calgary’s Shaye Ganam she doubts the exclusion of electronic vote counters would improve the local election process.
“The tabulators were brought in to improve the process and to get more accurate results,” Heron said. “Now, human error has been introduced back in.”
The removal of electronic tabulators was part of Bill 20, a lengthy list of amendments to the province’s Local Authorities Election Act, tabled in April.
In a statement to Global News, a spokesperson for Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver said the changes were made to give municipalities “adequate time” to prepare for the next municipal elections in October 2025.
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“It is important for Albertans to feel they can trust the methods and results of local elections and requiring all ballots to be counted by hand will bolster their trust in the election outcome, which is better for democracy,” read the statement from spokesperson Heather Jenkins.
Typically, voters will fill out a paper ballot and deposit it in an electronic tabulator to record their vote, but the paper ballots remain accessible should there be the need for a manual recount of the vote.
St. Albert’s resolution raises concerns with strictly hand counting ballots, including the many different votes on a single ballot for mayor, councillors, school board trustees as well as referendum or plebiscite questions.
It also notes the move could also increase “the likelihood of delayed results, errors, and cost escalation,” for municipalities that have not relied on strictly hand counting votes.
“If I had heard the majority of Albertans really questioned these things, I would fully support the province in this, but they have not done that work,” Heron said. “It’s a big decision at the cost of municipalities; once again, municipalities are getting the short end of the stick.”
Earlier this month, the City of Red Deer presented a report to its city council after a preliminary review of the “process and challenges” anticipated for the next municipal election.
The review found administering the election would cost nearly $1.5 million without the electronic tabulators, around 3.5 times the cost of previous elections in that city.
That figure includes an estimated $780,000 to hire 200 temporary staff for daily eight-hour shifts to count ballots.
Red Deer Mayor Ken Johnston told Global News it would take four days for election results to be counted and verified.
“The longer the result, the more uncertain the result becomes,” he said. “You want to be able to get a quick, verifiable, reliable result to people.”
Johnston said he spoke with McIver at the Alberta Municipalities conference on Wednesday and raised concerns about the estimated costs, especially for mid-sized cities in the province.
“We’re asking the province, if they go in this direction of hand counting, that they compensate municipalities for the additional costs,” Johnston said.
The City of Calgary told Global News that costs associated with the requirements in Bill 20 are estimated at $1.3 million for the 2025 municipal election.
City officials noted that would include requirements to use a permanent register of electors and additional election workers, supplies and facility rental costs associated with hand counting ballots.
The resolution will be up for a vote at the conference on Thursday, which will also include a session with remarks Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. Official opposition leader Naheed Nenshi is slated to speak in the afternoon session.
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