Recount called in Calgary’s Ward 12; local party calls for support

A recount in Calgary's Ward 12 will be conducted Thursday at the Big Four Roadhouse to finalize the results that put Mike Jamieson barely ahead of Sarah Ferguson. (File)

Elections Calgary is moving ahead with a recount for one city ward while denying a claim from a runner-up in another race.

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Officials say the votes in Ward 12 were very close, with just 29 ballots separating the winner Mike Jamieson from his next nearest competitor Sarah Ferguson.

According to the Local Authorities Election Act, that means the returning officer will conduct a recount of all the votes cast.

Elections Calgary says the decision was based on the number of “sufficient rejected ballots.”

“The returning officer can consider that the number of valid ballots objected to objected ballots or rejected ballots (not including blank ballots) to determine if it was sufficient to affect the result of the election if they had not been counted objected to or rejected,” it said on its website.

Candidates, their official agent and scrutineers are allowed to be present during recounts, Elections Calgary said.

The recount will be conducted on Thursday at the Big Four Roadhouse.

Party seeks support in process

The Better Calgary Party, the organization that Jamieson is affiliated with, called for support on Thursday for the recount to defend his victory.

“The recount starts TODAY, and we need scrutineers, staff, and lawyers on hand ASAP, to ensure the recount occurs fairly,” the party wrote in a statement.

“Please help us ensure we have the legal and logistical support required to defend this victory.”

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Ward 9 recount denied

Meanwhile, another recount in Calgary was denied by election officials on Wednesday.

In Ward 9, independent Harrison M. Clark won with 4,845 votes, 267 ballots ahead of runner-up Gar Gar.

Elections Calgary said the returning officer in that race found there were insufficient grounds to believe the count was inaccurate.

They also denied claims of sufficient amounts of objected ballots or rejected ballots or any technical errors in voting.

Final results in the 2025 Calgary election will be announced at noon on Oct. 24.