Judicial recounts underway in B.C.’s historically close provincial election

A judicial recount is underway successful the astir tightly contested riding successful British Columbia’s historically adjacent provincial election.

Election officials, scrutineers for the BC NDP and BC Conservative Party and a B.C. Supreme Court justice hunkered down astatine an concern gathering successful Surrey connected Thursday to hand-count ballots for the Surrey-Guildford riding.

Following Elections BC’s last number successful that riding, the NDP’s 47-seat bulk authorities hinged connected a 27-vote triumph successful Surrey-Guildford.

A consequent provincewide audit recovered 28 ballots formed extracurricular of the territory that went initially uncounted, owed to “human error,” according to Elections BC. The effect of those ballots subsequently chopped NDP campaigner Gary Begg’s pb down to 21 votes.

Elections BC said it would statesman Thursday by examining those ballots, earlier moving connected to the afloat 19,090 ballots to beryllium recounted.

The enactment is being divided up betwixt 10 teams of 2 Elections BC workers, with the number observed by 2 scrutineers, 1 from the NDP and 1 from the Conservatives. Lawyers are besides connected site.

If a hand-counted ballot is flagged, a typical from each enactment volition look astatine it. If they hold connected what the voter’s volition was, the ballot volition beryllium counted, but if they disagree, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Kevin Loo volition adjudicate.

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Results of the recount are expected to beryllium disposable by Friday.

It is uncommon but not unheard of successful B.C. for a recount to alteration the result of a choky race.

This recount is peculiarly captious due to the fact that if the BC Conservatives flip the riding, the NDP would beryllium reduced to 46 seats, making it a number government.

A concurrent judicial recount successful Kelowna Centre was besides scheduled for Thursday and Friday. The BC Conservatives pb the NDP successful that riding by 38 votes.

Elections BC is besides conducting a partial recount successful Prince George-Mackenzie, wherever a post-election audit discovered an full ballot container had gone uncounted. The Conservatives clasp a ample pb successful that riding, and the results of the partial recount are not expected to alteration the outcome.