English
Dozens of polling stations across Alberta kept their doors open past the standard closing time on election day after a series of late openings delayed voting at locations throughout the province. Elections Alberta extended hours at more than 100 affected sites, giving voters additional time to cast their ballots.
Widespread Delays Across the Province
The disruptions affected polling locations in both Calgary and Edmonton, as well as communities across rural Alberta. Sites in electoral divisions ranging from Calgary-Bow and Calgary-East to Edmonton-Glenora and Edmonton-Manning all experienced late openings. As a result, each affected location received a corresponding extension to its closing time.
Stay connected to every major update — subscribe and follow us on the PhoenixQ website and across our social media platforms.
In Calgary, dozens of schools, community centres, churches and recreation facilities stayed open beyond the regular closing hour. For example, Montgomery Community Association in Calgary-Bow remained open until 8:13 p.m., while Erin Woods School in Calgary-East stayed open until 8:20 p.m. Some locations in Calgary-Elbow, including Ecole Sainte Marguerite Bourgeoys and St. Stephen Protomartyr Church, also closed at 8:20 p.m.
Meanwhile, in Calgary-Mountain View, Ecole Madeleine D’Houet remained open until 8:33 p.m. Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Calgary-North kept its doors open until 8:44 p.m., one of the later closings in the Calgary area. Venice Banquet Hall in Calgary-North East closed at 8:35 p.m.
Edmonton and Rural Locations Also Affected
Edmonton saw similar disruptions across several electoral divisions. In Edmonton-Glenora, Westminster School remained open until 10:00 p.m., the latest closing time of any location in the province. Corpus Christi School in Edmonton-Ellerslie and Matheson Seniors’ Residence in Edmonton-Glenora both stayed open until 9:00 p.m.
In Edmonton-South West, Constable Daniel Woodall School closed at 9:20 p.m. Edmonton Christian Northeast School in Edmonton-Manning remained open until 8:45 p.m. Several other Edmonton locations closed between 8:10 p.m. and 8:32 p.m., depending on how late each site opened.
Rural communities across Alberta also experienced delays. In Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul, both Elizabeth Settlement Community Hall and Fishing Lake Communiplex stayed open until 8:58 p.m. Consort Sportex in Drumheller-Stettler closed at 9:00 p.m. In Morinville-St. Albert, Gibbons Community Cultural Centre remained open until 9:00 p.m., as did Four Chiefs Complex and Sister Gloria School in Peace River.
Extended Hours Across Multiple Ridings
Other affected communities included Airdrie-Cochrane, where Cooper’s Crossing School stayed open until 8:55 p.m. In Leduc-Beaumont, four polling locations received extensions, with closing times ranging from 8:14 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Springbank High School in Banff-Kananaskis remained open until 8:30 p.m.
In Lethbridge-East, Palliser School Division Home and Parkbridge Estates both received extended hours, closing at 8:10 p.m. and 8:13 p.m. respectively. Further south, Foremost Community Hall and Bow Island Legion in Taber-Warner closed at 8:11 p.m. and 8:14 p.m.
In the West Yellowhead riding, four locations received extensions. Canfor Culture and Events Centre stayed open until 8:30 p.m., while Edson Lions Hall closed at 8:28 p.m. École Secondaire Notre Dame High School and Baymont BY Wyndham Red Deer in Red Deer-South both remained open until 8:45 p.m.
The extended polling hours affected communities across a broad geographic area of Alberta. Elections authorities applied the extensions specifically to compensate for the delayed openings, ensuring that voters at each affected location had a full opportunity to participate in the election.
