Election Results

Completing the count of election ballots takes thousands of workers, working across the province, to report the results from every voting place.

After voting locations close on Election Day, ballot boxes are opened and the count is completed. Results are then reported from each voting location to the returning offices, which are immediately made available for public viewing. Results will start to become available on Election Night after 8 PM once voting places are closed and counts are completed and will continue until all results are reported.

Count Process

Hand counts are completed for all Special Ballot, Election Day and Mobile Voting Places.

All Special Ballot votes will be reported by the location of the count:

• Returning Office: All ballots cast in person or dropped off at a returning office or satellite office.
• Elections Alberta: All ballots returned by mail, cast in person or dropped off at Elections Alberta.

For votes cast at an advance voting place, results will be generated from the tabulator after the close of voting on Election Night. As advance voting locations offer Vote Anywhere each tabulator will read votes cast on ballots for all 87 electoral divisions and the results generated from each tabulator will report the results of votes cast for candidates in all 87 electoral divisions. Results will be reported by advance voting place, but with candidate vote totals being attributed to the electoral division in which they apply.

All advance voting, mobile voting and Election Day results will be reported by voting place.

Regardless of the counting method, all votes are cast on paper ballots which are retained and available for the official count and in the case of a judicial recount. As per the Election Act, section 151, no ballots may be destroyed until 3 months after the return of the election materials from the returning officer or 3 months after any judicial recount or appeal.

In the days following Election Day, returning office staff review the materials from the unofficial count to verify the results. These confirmations are then reported as official results and released to the public, with the winning candidates officially declared. This is known as the Official Announcement of the Results and takes place on the 10th day after Election Day.

Historical Results