A vote recount overseen by Elections Calgary has verified Jeromy Farkas as the upcoming mayor of Calgary. The request for a recount was initiated by Sonya Sharp, the second-place candidate, under the Local Authorities Election Act and commenced on Monday morning. Updated figures released on Tuesday by Elections Calgary revealed that Farkas secured 91,112 votes compared to Sharp’s 90,496, resulting in a 616-vote gap.
Prior to the recount, Farkas had 91,071 votes while Sharp had 90,490, indicating both candidates gained votes during the process. Sharp justified her call for a recount by highlighting the slim victory margin and the challenging circumstances faced by election workers, such as long queues, new procedures, and manual ballot counting that extended into the early hours.
All mayoral ballots in Calgary were recounted. Following the conclusion of the recount, Farkas is scheduled to be inaugurated as the city’s new mayor on Wednesday at 6 p.m., alongside the newly elected council members. Farkas expressed gratitude towards his campaign team, Elections Calgary, and the volunteer scrutineers for their role in overseeing the democratic process.
Farkas extended congratulations to Sharp for her campaign efforts and emphasized his desire for Calgarians to benefit from her dedication to public service. CBC News has contacted Sharp for her input on the election outcome.