Vote-counting machines could lead to faster election results in Manitoba

WINNIPEG - Elections Manitoba is expecting faster results on election night Oct. 3, and has laid out a timeline that appears to be roughly twice as fast as the drawn-out affair experienced in Alberta last week. The independent agency is planning to use electronic vote-counting machines, also known as tabulators, in most locations for the first time. While Alberta used tabulators only for advance polls, Manitoba is to see them used for election-day polls as well. The machines being used by Manitoba are similar to ones already used in other jurisdictions including municipal elections in Winnipeg. “There’s an election, people are excited, they want to see the results,” said Royce Koop, who teaches political studies at the University of Manitoba.