Announcement: Update to Municipal Election Candidate Listings

Medicine Hat - As part of our commitment to maintaining neutrality and transparency during the municipal election period, the City has made the decision to remove links to candidates’ personal websites and social media feeds from the official municipal website.

This decision was guided by two key considerations:

1. Avoiding Perceived Endorsement
   While the City supports open access to election information, linking directly to candidates’ personal platforms may inadvertently suggest endorsement of the views or content shared on those pages. To ensure impartiality, the City is limiting its role to providing verified candidate names as submitted during the nomination process.
2. Jurisdictional Best Practices
   A brief scan of municipal practices across Alberta revealed that most municipalities do not provide direct links to candidate websites or social media accounts. * September 4 Update: The initial jurisdictional scan was conducted under time constraints, and upon further review, it was confirmed that many municipalities do link to candidate information. However, the decision to maintain neutrality and avoid the perception of any endorsement of candidate viewpoints or content remains the primary driver behind the decision.

The City thanks residents and candidates for their understanding as we strive to uphold the principles of fairness and neutrality in the administration of the municipal election.

For more information about the election process, key dates, and voting details, please visit our Election Information Page.

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For media inquiries, please contact:
media@medicinehat.ca