A lineup of voters is seen outside Holy Family Parish on Saturday during the first round of advance polls. Local electoral officials report more than 800 Hatters cast a vote throughout the day.--NEWS PHOTO BRENDAN MILLER
bmiller@medicinehatnews.com
More than 800 voters cast ballots during the first advance polls in Medicine Hat on Saturday – some waiting up to an hour in line – as election officials reported a constant flow of voters once polls opened.
Chief Electoral Officer Cardona Arias says 358 voters turned up to cast a ballot at the Hockey Hounds Recreational Centre, with voters reporting a wait time of between 15 and 45 minutes.
Additionally, 454 voters cast their ballots at Holy Family Parish, while some voters reported one hour wait times, for a total of 812 votes.
“It went extremely well,” said Arias. “We had a steady stream of voters at both stations from the time we opened those doors to the time we closed them.”
Due to a record number of council candidates (39), six mayoral candidates as well as school board trustee hopefuls, this year’s ballot is the longest ballot in city history, explains Arias, and can take several minutes to complete.
“We did have a couple hiccups with the long ballot, but I think it’s just the nature of the beast,” says Arias. ” It’s the longest ballot we’ve ever had, and so it’s going to take folks a little bit longer, and that’s OK.”
Arias says voters who have a list of the candidates prepared before heading to the polling station will typically take less time.
“If I’m a voter who has a list of candidates for whom I’m going to vote for in my pocket, or I wrote it down on a sticky note … then it should take me about 25 to 35 minutes ideally to get in and out if it’s a day of high turnout.
“If I’m a voter who perhaps didn’t pay too much attention, and I’m looking at the field of candidates, I think I could spend closer to 45 minutes … We really advise voters to have your list beforehand.”
Voters will have another opportunity to cast a ballot on Oct. 14, as advance polling stations will be open for five days straight leading up to Election Day on Oct. 20.
“They are going to be open for longer and I really think that the enthusiasm that the community showed on Saturday is going to continue next week,” added Arias.
Advance polls at both the Hockey Hounds Recreation Centre in the north and Holy Family Parish in the south will open daily Oct. 14-18 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. A total of 19,797 votes were cast for mayor in the 2021 Medicine Hat municipal election.
