City pleased with smooth run election

By Tim Kalinowski on October 20, 2021.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDtkalinowski@lethbridgeherald.com

While official results will not be in until noon on Friday, Returning Officer Bonnie Hilford said her office was pleased with the way the municipal election went, and voters seemed to think it went pretty well too.
“We did see 7,000 additional voters as compared to 2017,” she told local reporters at a post-election briefing on Tuesday. “So that’s very positive, and it is an eight per cent increase in voter turnout. So we are very pleased with that.”
According to the City of Lethbridge’s unofficial results posted on its website, almost 35 per cent of eligible voters cast their ballots in this year’s election for a total of 28,348 votes cast. 
Hilford’s City Clerk’s office was praised by many in the community for running a fairly smooth election, and for getting creative by introducing more advance voting options and a new drive thru system.
“Drive thru was an idea we had because of COVID actually,” she confirmed. “How could we have an option for people, and that they could stay safe? People really liked the idea of staying in their car, and not having to go out into a building or anything like that. Because of COVID, we thought we could try it. And even in 2025 when I hope we are out of COVID, we would offer that option, for sure. And we would probably offer more opportunities for it at the advance (polls), and on the day of.”
Hilford said her entire goal in running the election was to make it as easy as possible for local residents to vote.
“I am a voter too,” she said. “And I remember being in the big city, and having to go to a particular voting station when I had children, and when I had to be at work. And I have heard that comment from other voters out there in the public as well. So we were thinking how can we make it simple for people. And that was kind of the theme for this election: it’s simplicity. So people could understand and easily be able to vote, and it was accessible to all.”
Hilford said with Lethbridge residents voting on a ballot question to bring in a Ward system prior to the next election, and if the newly-elected city council ultimately adopts that policy, her office will have a busy four years ahead to prepare for that change.
“That would take a few years to put into place if that is the direction council wants to go,” she confirmed. “A committee of the public would probably make a recommendation (on Ward boundaries) to council, and then council would ultimately decide on that.”

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