Incumbent Sean Chu defeats DJ Kelly by 52 votes in Ward 4, Kelly calls for recount

CALGARY -

With all 30 tabulators reporting, incumbent Sean Chu has unofficially won the race to represent Ward 4 in city council.

According to Elections Calgary, Chu defeated Daniel James (DJ) Kelly by a mere 52 votes.

And now Kelly says his team is preparing to make an application for a recount under the Local Authorities Elections Act.

"We are very fortunate to live in a democratic society where every vote counts, and we intend to ensure that the voice of every Calgarian in Ward 4 is heard," read a statement.

"As we went throughout every neighbourhood in Ward 4, knocking on more than 11,000 doors and connecting with neighbours, it never escaped me that I was running for my community. They're not going anywhere, so I'm not going anywhere, no matter what the final result is."

Chu received 12,422 votes (43 per cent) while Kelly received 12,370 (42 per cent). Angela McIntyre finished third with 3,383 votes (12 per cent).

A winner was not declared on election night due to technical issues with two tabulators. The results from the two stations were manually entered Tuesday morning.

According to Elections Calgary, the marked ballots from the two stations will also be re-tabulated to "ensure transparency and integrity of the process."

Results from the 2021 general election will remain unofficial until they certified by the returning officer at noon on Friday.

This is a developing story. It will be updated throughout the day.