Medicine Hat breaks city record for most city council candidates

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on September 19, 2025.

newsdesk@medicinehatnews.com

Next month’s municipal election will have the longest ballot in city history. This year’s election has now surpassed the 20-year record for council candidates. At end of day Thursday 37 candidates had filed to run for city council, breaking the previous record of 36, set in 2001.

Steven Pudwell and Michael Starner are the latest to register as candidates for city council, joining the race on Sept. 18.

Six hopefuls are in the race for mayor, and 19 candidates are vying for the trusteeships of the Catholic Board of Education and the Public School Division.

The nomination period for this year’s election ends at noon on Monday, meaning the number of names on the ballot may continue to grow.

The 2025 municipal election period begins Oct. 4 with advance polls opening. Advance polling that day will occur from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hockey Hounds Arena, 39 10th St. NE in Crescent Heights, and Holy Family Parish at 1451 Strachan Rd.

Advance polls will also be open Oct. 14-18 at those same locations from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Election night is Oct. 20, though due to hand-counting rules imposed by the province, results are unlikely to be official before Oct. 21. A ‘kangaroo board’ system of hand-counting will be used, which positions 25 ballots at a time onto a easy-to-read grid for tallying.

Hourly updates will begin at 10 p.m. election night, running until 2 a.m. and picking back up first thing Tuesday morning.

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