Taber 2025: municipal election on the horizon

By Cal Braid
Taber Times
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

 It’s an election year on both the federal and municipal fronts. That means either a changing of the guard or a retention of the current one. Mayor Andrew Prokop and a council composed of Garth Bekkering, Jack Brewin, Carly Firth, Monica McLean, Dan Remfert, and Joanne Sorensen have been holding down the fort and making the critical town decisions by committee. Those seven are backed by an administration and staff departments that keep the Town’s services, property, and finances intact.

 The 2025 municipal election will be run by Meghan Brennan, communications manager; Brittany Gilbertson, executive assistant and legislative manager; and Jeanne Rudolf, chief returning officer. Brennan and Gilbertson are deputy returning officers tasked with assisting Rudolf.

 Brennan said the Town is rolling out new initiatives to better inform candidates and voters alike. In an election release she said, “With expanded resources and new training opportunities, this election aims to provide greater transparency, accessibility, and understanding of the municipal election process.”

 The process is now active and the key dates and procedures are in place. They are as follows:

– Nomination Period: Now open. Candidates can submit nomination forms any time until Monday, Sept. 22, at 12 noon in the Town Council Chambers.

– Candidates may run for Mayor (1 position) or Councillor (6 positions).

-The Candidates Package, including nomination forms, is available at http://www.taber.ca/election.

– A Candidates Listing will be updated at http://www.taber.ca/election as nominations are received. (As of Feb. 4, no candidates had been listed.)

 Election Day is Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. Polls will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Taber Community Centre Auditorium. Advance voting dates will be announced soon at http://www.taber.ca/election. Voter eligibility, ID requirements, and other election details are also available on the website.

 According to Brennan, the election results will be determined as quickly as the ballot counts can be completed. 

“The voter ballots cannot be counted until after polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day. Due to the Government of Alberta’s ban on electronic tabulators, all ballots must be hand-counted by trained election staff,” she said.

 “This process takes time, and the final results may be delayed depending on voter turnout,” she continued. “As a result, the Town cannot guarantee when election results will be available. The count could extend late into the night on Election Day or even into the following day. We appreciate the public’s patience and understanding as our election workers diligently count every ballot. Results will be posted as soon as they are finalized.”

 Once completed, the results will be posted on http://www.taber.ca/news and the @TownofTaber social media accounts. Brennan and Gilbertson encourage voters to subscribe to eNotifications at http://www.taber.ca/enotification or follow the Town’s official social media accounts to receive results as soon as they are posted.

 “These are the only official Town sources for election information,” Brennan added. “We urge the public to be cautious of misinformation and to rely solely on the Town of Taber’s official channels for confirmed results on Election Day.”

 The newly elected Council will be sworn in on Mon. Oct. 27, during the Organizational Meeting of Council. All election information is available at http://www.taber.ca/election.