The outcome of the mayoral race in Edmonton remains uncertain until at least Tuesday morning due to a pause in vote counting that began at 1 a.m. Election officials announced that the counting process would resume at 9 a.m. on Tuesday. Multiple voting locations across Edmonton closed more than two hours behind schedule on Monday evening, leading to long wait times reported at polling stations in central and northern Alberta, with some experiencing waits exceeding an hour.
Officials emphasized that voters who were in line by 8 p.m. could stay in line to cast their votes. Edmonton Elections disclosed that the unofficial voter turnout stood at 30.27%, with 205,758 out of 679,830 eligible voters participating, marking the lowest turnout since 2007. The 2021 civic election in Edmonton saw a record 236,000 voters turning out, as reported by Edmonton Elections.
As of 1:25 a.m. on Monday, unofficial results were available for 48 of 236 polls in the mayoral race, with Andrew Knack leading at 20,540 votes and Tim Cartmell at 15,645 votes, out of 13 mayoral candidates. Additionally, all wards in Edmonton had reported early results by that time.
In parallel, Elections Calgary reported that over 327,000 votes had been unofficially counted in their mayoral race, with 349 of 380 polls reporting as of 1:35 a.m. on Tuesday. The majority of Alberta’s local governments, both urban and rural, including municipalities, towns, villages, and school boards, were conducting elections on Monday.
In Edmonton, where Mayor Amarjeet Sohi opted not to run for re-election, voters were selecting a new mayor from among 13 candidates vying for the position. Furthermore, 81 candidates were competing for 12 city council seats in each municipal ward in Edmonton.
Reports from voters in Edmonton highlighted extended wait times on Monday, attributed to changes in the voting process this year. Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Williams commented that municipalities had sufficient time since spring 2024 to plan for the new election rules. Some voters described the process as onerous and time-consuming, with wait times of up to an hour reported.
The traditional electronic voting tabulators used in previous municipal elections in Alberta were replaced by manual counting this year following provincial government changes. Results from the mayoral race were expected to be released first, followed by councilor and school trustee ballots. The preliminary vote count was slated for completion by Tuesday, with official results due by noon on Friday, according to the City of Edmonton’s guidelines.