Voters brave snow to get head start on Olympic-bid plebiscite
Lineups and snowy weather Tuesday didn’t deter more than 21,000 electors who cast a ballot on the first day of advance voting in Calgary’s Olympic plebiscite.
According to data released by the city of Calgary late Tuesday, 21,185 people voted at 14 advance polling stations, while there were 7,738 votes cast by mail-in ballot.
Returning officer Laura Kennedy acknowledged the first day wasn’t without hitches, as lineups were reported outside some voting stations. But Kennedy said supervisors attended all the stations and made changes to ensure voters were able to go through quickly.
“We understand there were lineups, we understand people were standing in the snow, we apologize for our part in that,” she told reporters just after 5 p.m.
“We did work with all of our officers in charge of the voting stations to make sure the voters got in as quickly as possible and that we mitigated any of those issues that were identified.”
The Croatian Canadian Cultural Centre in northeast Calgary saw a steady stream of voters over lunchtime on Tuesday.
The non-binding vote asks Calgarians whether they are for or against Calgary hosting the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
Advance polls opened at 11 a.m. Tuesday, running until 7 p.m. Calgarians can cast their ballots during the same hours on Wednesday.
“I voted against it,” Doug Workman said as he left the northeast polling station.
“We can’t afford them,” he said. Raghbir Basati said he couldn’t wait to have his say on Tuesday.
“I was very eager. I didn’t want to miss my vote. Even one vote can make a difference,” said Basati, in favour of hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics. “It’s the only way to recognize Calgary in the world. People will know where Calgary is and it will bring lots of business.
“(Others) are saying ‘oh, it will put Calgary ’s finances in jeopardy.’ No, it is a positive thing, it’s where the money should go.”
For the plebiscite, the city unveiled electronic tabulator machines to tally results. But some early voters reported problems with the machines, noting that ballots were being rejected, which kept lineups of people waiting at the McKenzie Towne Hall voting station.
Mark Dumont, who voted at the station, said he arrived early but waited half an hour to cast his vote.
“You go to another lineup and try and put your piece of paper through this machine,” he said. “That’s holding a lot of people up. . . . Sometimes they put it in and it comes back out. When I put mine in I did it nice and carefully and it went through. The lady right in front me was having trouble with it.”
Kennedy said there weren’t any problems with the tabulator machines.
“The vote tabulators are new,” she said. “People were excited, they put in their own ballots, and when they put them in, if they didn’t wait until it captured, it would reject it and make a little beeping sound and then two seconds later they were able to put their (ballots) in. The tabulators are working, they’re working exactly as they should be.”
Some of the changes made to lessen wait times included adjustments to lineups and expansions to the size of voting stations.
At the Croatian Canadian Cultural Centre, Lori Davidson said she was looking forward to all the Olympic chatter across the city coming to a close.
“It’s been annoying,” said Davidson, who voted no. “I think we had our glory days. People are trying to relive it and I don’t think you can.”
There is no need to register in advance to vote. Once at the voting station, all voters are required to sign a statement confirming they meet the qualifications to vote. This includes being at least 18 years old and a Canadian citizen, having resided in Alberta for at least six consecutive months before the plebiscite and being a current resident of a ward within Calgary.
Voters must provide authorized identification at the voting station, such as an Alberta driver’s licence or an Alberta Identification Card that confirms their name and current residential address.
Those who will be away from Calgary on plebiscite day, as well as those who will be prevented from voting in person due to a physical incapacity, can request a mail-in ballot online, by calling 403-4764100, by faxing 403-476-4101, or by visiting the Elections and Census Office at 1103 55th Ave. N.E.
Requests for mail-in ballots must be received by noon on Nov. 13. Completed mail-in ballot packages must be received by the Elections and Census Office by 4 p.m. that day.
Voting station hours on the Nov. 13 plebiscite day are from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. To find your nearest voting station, visit http://vote2018. calgary.ca/ When-and-where-to-vote. html and enter your home address.