By Darren Rathwell

City getting ready for municipal election day

Sep 24, 2021 | 3:26 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Medicine Hat’s returning officer says city hall’s election machinery is in gear with residents returning to the polls next month, this time for the municipal election.

The candidate list was finalized this week.

“Next steps for our team is to have our workers through oriented and trained about 230 workers trained on our ballot tabulators,” says Angela Cruickshank. “That will be going on, printing of the ballots, getting all of our supplies ready for election day and for advance polls.”

Thirty-two people are running for council alone, and another five for mayor.

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Advance polls for the municipal election open in Medicine Hat on Oct. 9, and will remain open for six days. Mail-in ballots can be sent by those who are away from Medicine Hat or are home-bound up until Oct. 4.

Transit to and from the polls on election day, Oct. 18, will be free of charge for the first time and city officials are hoping that the long list of candidates will translate into a high voter turnout.

Also, the pandemic will result in a unique experience at the ballot box.

“We’ll have social distancing to voting stations. all of our workers masked. also behind (Plexiglas), so we’re aiming to have a smooth flow of votes in and out of the station,” says Cruickshank. “We’ll also have cleaners in the station disinfecting each step of the way, and we’re also giving away free markers so when the voter marks the ballot get to keep the ballot marker.”

You can find a link to more information, including an interactive map on where to find your polling station on the city’s website.