City Auditor Approves 2021 Calgary Election Plans – Calgary | The Canadian News

The city auditor’s office has given the Elections Calgary preparation a stamp of approval ahead of the October municipal elections.

During the 2017 elections, some polling stations in the city saw Calgarians wait up to six hours to cast their votes.

Some polling stations were understaffed, while the city’s audit committee also found that ballots had to circulate around the city.

Election results were also delayed in 2017.

On Wednesday, the audit committee heard a report from the city auditor after reviewing what Elections Calgary has planned to fix those issues.

Part of the review also included the review of measures designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The review found that the election administrator used historical and geographic information systems (GIS) data to help ensure a 100 percent vote supply at polling stations.

Elections Calgary also used Elections Alberta population data to update border lines within districts to create subdivisions of 7,100 voters or fewer, with polling stations centrally located within those subdivisions. Whenever possible, these locations are close to traffic and will allow people to avoid having to cross major intersections or run into major construction sites.

“We determined that the Elections Calgary plan and documented methodology were effective in meeting the requirements for supplying 100 percent ballots and allocations to voting subdivisions,” the auditor’s report reads.

The municipal elections body used federal electoral criteria to select 33 places to vote in advance and 186 places for Election Day, an increase from 2017. Voting hours will also be extended.

“By increasing the number of polling stations, we hope to reduce some of the wait times and some of the challenges we experienced in 2017,” said Counting Officer Kate Martin.

“With that being said, with COVID-19 here and with us having the additional safety precautions in place, like social distancing, like taking the time to sanitize equipment … I think we may have some wait times.”

Martin told the committee that more than 3,600 poll workers have been hired, exceeding the original goal.

“I am very confident that we will not only be able to staff our positions, but we also plan to have a contingent of poll workers as reserve workers,” said the scrutineer.

The auditor also reviewed Elections Calgary’s COVID-19 checklist, used to assess whether a space is COVID-safe.

The checklist included room capacity, room ventilation, separate entrances / exits, room square footage, and door sizes.

The plans include a way for voters to cast their ballots outside if they do not want to enter the voting station. In the past, very few voters have opted for this, and Elections Calgary plans do not expect this to be a high-demand option.

“We identify the risk that changing conditions and restrictions related to COVID-19 may affect demand for this option and recommend that Elections Calgary re-forecast expected demand closer to Election Day to support staffing and supply adjustments. if necessary ”, reads the auditor’s report.

Elections Calgary’s plans to keep poll workers safe through measures such as masking, distancing, disinfecting, and low-touch points met auditor satisfaction.

Calgarians elect a new mayor and council on October 18.