Lethbridge City Council says it should be able to choose whether it continues to use electronic vote counting. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

City of Lethbridge asking for choice in electronic/manual vote counting

Mar 11, 2025 | 2:27 PM

Electronic vote-counting machines have been used in Lethbridge’s municipal elections for the last 35 years and city council does not want that to change.

Members voted unanimously on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, to ask the Government of Alberta to allow them to choose whether to use electronic or manual vote counting at the next election, which is scheduled to be held in October.

In 2024, the province amended the Local Authorities Election Act, prohibiting municipalities from using voting machines for municipal elections. Instead, each community would be required to count every ballot by hand.

Mayor Blaine Hyggen wrote to the government back in December, urging officials to change their minds.

Minister of Municipal Affairs, Ric McIver, responded, saying that he has a responsibility to ensure that voter fraud is kept at bay.

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“Municipal Affairs has a mandate from the Premier to strengthen public trust in local elections. Building trust in election processes and reassuring Albertans that our system is safe from mistakes is part of that mandate. Having returning officers hand count and verify paper ballots can help achieve that goal,” McIver said in a letter dated January 20, 2025.

City Councillor Rajko Dodic says he does not understand the province’s concerns.

The City of Lethbridge first implemented electronic voting tabulators in 1989 and has used them in every municipal election since.

After a long day of working at polling stations, Dodic believes that tired polling station workers would be more likely to make mistakes.

With the technology, officials can get the results on election night. Dodic says that, by going back to hand counting, it will take up to four days to get the unofficial results.

According to a recent report from the city, the extra time to count ballots could nearly double the cost of running municipal elections to over $665,000.

If Lethbridge City Council is unsuccessful in being granted the option of vote-counting methods, they will ask that the provincial government cover their additional election costs.

This will also be the first time that voters will need to register in order to cast their ballots. More details in the story below.

READ MORE: Lethbridge election ballots to be hand-counted, voters will need to register

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