Edmontonians may have to wait until tomorrow to find out who their next mayor and councillors will be, thanks to hand counting of ballots.
Edmonton Elections says that preliminary results are expected tomorrow. Counting will begin when the polls close and go on until 1 a.m. tonight and will resume at 9 a.m.
The provincial government banned electronic voting tabulators in municipal elections last year, despite push back from municipalities. Premier Danielle Smith had insisted that paper ballots were a way to make elections safer.
Mayoral candidate Tim Cartmell criticized the Smith’s government decision for adding to election costs.
“This was a gift from the provincial government,” Cartmell said. “It makes no sense to me. It’s going to cost the city a lot of money.”
Meanwhile, city coun