By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

2017 election went smoothly, says City

Apr 7, 2018 | 4:33 PM

The City of Red Deer say it is satisfied with how the 2017 municipal election was run.

On Monday, city council received an overview of the election which took place last October.

Legislative Services Manager and the election’s returning office Frieda McDougall says overall, it was a very fair election.

“When we conduct an election, our goal is to make sure all of our processes are transparent and that we conduct an election without bias,” she says. “That means we don’t have any favouritism, there’s no questioning of the results, and ultimately we did that.”

It was noted to council that there were some instances of non-compliance as it related to election sign regulations, which were amended shortly before the vote. However, McDougall couldn’t comment further because that’s the jurisdiction of Inspections and Licensing.

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The report says though there were some issues, most feedback received was positive.

Other highlights of the report include the highest voter turnout of an Advance Vote, which drew large numbers to the Red Deer Museum and Art Gallery. It says the site should be reconsidered for larger capacity the next time around.

There were some challenges however with respect to a lack of voting stations in newer areas of the city, particularly in Clearview Meadows, Anders South, Aspen Ridge, Rosedale, Garden Heights and Vanier. The difficulties were a result of population increase and the city’s expansion to the northeast.

The 2017 election also marked the first time The City utilized a dedicated election website, which it’s said received positive reception, particularly from the school districts.

The City’s net expenditure on the 2017 election was $374,511. With the school districts’ costs, the gross cost was $576,458.

Candidate expenses are being released on April 16.