A voter outs their mayoral ballot into a polling box on Election Day, Oct. 20. The city reports a 37 per cent total voter turnout, with 18,265 of 49,691 eligible voters casting a ballot.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
bmiller@medicinehatnews.com
A total of 18,265 Hatters cast a ballot in the 2025 municipal election, representing a 37 per cent voter turnout, down from 40 per cent, or 19,998 voters in 2021.
The total number of eligible voters is 49,691.
The city reports 39 per cent of vote s were cast during six days of advance polls, with the remaining 57 per cent showing up on Election Day.
The remaining four per cent voted via Special Ballots and at long-term care homes.
Voters told the News they waited anywhere between 20 minutes to over an hour on Oct. 20 at 10 polling stations located across the city.
The busiest polling station on Election Day was the Big Marble Go Centre with 1,456 votes cast, or 14 per cent of all voters.
Due to the record number of council candidates (39), six mayoral candidates and several school board candidates, election workers tell the News that many voters required several minutes to fill out their ballot. Voters were also required to fill out registration forms before receiving up to three ballots (mayor, councillor, school trustee).
Results after the polls closed were slow to come in, with official tallies not released until later in the week. Premier Danielle Smith’s government required all votes be counted by hand, rather than with electronic counting machines used for decades.
In Medicine Hat, election workers used a custom made Kangaroo Board to sort and tally ballots, and the News was able to declare Mayor Linnsie Clark after midnight on Election Day.
Results for council trickled in slowly Tuesday, and by press time the News was able to obtain percentages on polls reported for all races. Updates picked up Wednesday and votes were all counted by 11 p.m.
Official results were published Friday. Eight new councillors will join mayor re-elect Linnsie Clark.
The News will have more on election week and the processes behind it as answers are obtained.
