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Council passes election bylaw with reservations

Hand counting vote requirement expected to be costly
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Advocate file photo

Red Deer city council unanimously passed a new Election Bylaw on Monday, although several councillors said they were casting their votes "under duress."

Councillors voiced their frustration again with a provincial edict that votes should be manually counted instead of using electronic tabulators, which have been counting votes in many municipalities for years.

Coun. Kraymer Barnstable said it is safe to assume the change will make next October's municipal election the most expensive in the city's history, "which is unfortunate."

Besides the increased cost, hand counting will mean results will take longer.

"There's still a lot of frustration around the cost and the time to count votes."

Hand counting votes will cost the city another $940,000, mostly because of the 200 or so election workers that will need to be hired to county votes.

The city estimates the October 2025 election to cost $1.5 million, which is included in the 2025 budget.. 

Coun. Vesna Higham said she was making her vote "under duress," with other councillors echoing that sentiment.

Coun. Bruce Buruma said if Alberta's municipal councils were polled, he doubted a single one would be in favour of the ban on electronic tabulators.

The province often complains that the federal government intrudes into provincial areas of responsibility and the election changes could be seen as the province getting into areas of municipal responsibility, said Coun. Cindy Jefferies.

"I do feel this is a little bit too far and without good reasoning, in my mind."

Mayor Ken Johnston said cost is not the only challenge.

"It not only has a financial impact, it very, very definitely has a labour impact."

A number of other changes are included in the Election Bylaw.

Special ballots are now available to any elector unable to vote at advance polls or on election day, broadening accessibility.  As well, the number of nomination signatures has been increased – 50 per councillor candidate and 100 per mayoral candidate.

“These updates to our Election Bylaw ensure Red Deer’s election process remains clear, consistent, and in alignment with legislative requirements in advance of the 2025 general municipal election,” said returning officer Jessica Robinson.