There will be no need to visit a polling station in Kam Lake, Yellowknife South or Monfwi next month. In fact, there won’t be any polling stations to visit.
All three incumbents in those districts have been acclaimed as they were the only candidates to put their names forward before the 2pm Friday deadline.
The remaining 16 districts will now proceed to a territorial election, with polling day on November 14.
Finance and industry minister Caroline Wawzonek is guaranteed a second term in Yellowknife South (though she’ll cease being a minister, at least temporarily, on the day the new set of MLAs convenes for the first time), Caitlin Cleveland will return in Kam Lake, and Jane Weyallon Armstrong will now have the chance to serve a first full term in Monfwi.
Weyallon Armstrong replaced Jackson Lafferty in 2021 after he stepped down to run for the position of Tłı̨chǫ grand chief.
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Lucy Kuptana looked set to be acclaimed in Nunakput but the last-minute candidacy of Vince Teddy has turned that into a two-way contest unless there is a withdrawal before the 5pm deadline for candidates to back out.
Candidate lists will be finalized by Elections NWT at 5pm.
Acclamations happen immediately when a nomination period closes – there is no waiting for election night and no vote held as a formality, as there’s no point. Nobody else can win. All three candidates bore the word “acclaimed” in bold beneath their names on Elections NWT’s website by 2:30pm on Friday.
Three acclamations from 19 districts is the same number that was recorded in 2019. No NWT election has had more since 2003, when there were five.
“I am very honoured and humbled to be acclaimed as the next MLA for Yellowknife South. I do not take an acclamation for granted,” Wawzonek wrote on Threads on Friday afternoon.
“Thank you Yellowknife South for all of your support over the last four years. Thank you for brining me challenging issues and difficult questions, and for being respectful and patient when answers are not simple or quick.”
