Last week, I had the chance to take a behind-the-scenes tour of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo’s election headquarters — and let me tell you, there’s a lot more that goes into running an election than you might think.
With less than a week to go before voters head to the polls, staff are in the final stages of training for what’s shaping up to be one of the most complex ballot counts in the region’s history. This year marks the first municipal and school trustee election in Wood Buffalo since new provincial rules came into effect last May — and that means every single ballot will be counted by hand instead of electronically.
According to Returning Officer Jade Brown, residents shouldn’t expect to see results immediately after polls close on October 20th. And after seeing the process in person, I understand why.
In Ward 1, where a large number of candidates are competing for six council seats, the counting process is expected to take the longest. Staff walked me through what the night will look like — teams of trained workers sitting around tables with what’s called a “kangaroo board”, a tool that helps keep ballots organized while being tallied. On average, each team can count about 100 ballots every 40 minutes. Counting will stop at 1 a.m., then resume at 9 a.m. the next morning if needed.
The scale of the whole operation is pretty incredible. The RMWB covers over 102,000 square kilometres, stretching from Fort Fitzgerald in the north to Conklin in the south. Planning began way back in September of last year, and this time around, nearly 300 workers will be involved — double what it took in 2021. That increase, along with other logistical changes, has pushed the budget to about $600,000, putting us in line with similar-sized Alberta cities like Medicine Hat and Red Deer.
Something else that stood out to me was the focus on youth involvement. For the first time, 16- and 17-year-olds have been brought on board as greeters and information officers at polling stations — a great move to get younger generations engaged and familiar with the voting process early on.
And speaking of voting — advance polls are already open! You can vote at any location during advance voting, but on Election Day you’ll need to head to your assigned polling station with photo ID and proof of address.
Back in 2021, only about 13 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot — that’s roughly 13,000 out of more than 100,000 residents. This year, officials are hoping to double that number.
If you want to learn more, check out the Wood Buffalo Votes 2025 page for the full list of candidates, polling details, and ongoing election coverage.
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