In Ward 12, the competition for councillor between Mike Jamieson of A Better Calgary and Sarah Ferguson of the Calgary Party is undergoing a recount, as confirmed by city officials. Initial results show Jamieson leading Ferguson by 29 votes. A city press release stated that after reviewing the initial results, there were enough rejected ballots to potentially impact the election outcome for Ward 12 councillor.
As per provincial regulations, Calgary’s returning officer, Kate Martin, will supervise a recount of all ballots from Ward 12 polling stations. The recount is scheduled to take place at the Big Four Roadhouse on Thursday at 9 a.m. MT.
In contrast, a request for a preliminary recount in the Ward 9 councillor race was denied by Martin. The decision was made after assessing the situation and finding insufficient grounds to question the accuracy of the vote count. Unofficial results indicate that independent candidate Harrison Clark emerged victorious with 4,845 votes, while Gar Gar, another independent candidate, secured the second position with 267 fewer votes.
Martin considered various factors that could warrant a preliminary recount as per the Local Authorities Election Act but concluded that there were not enough grounds to proceed with a recount. Official results for Calgary’s election are expected to be released by noon on Friday.