Final Counts & Recounts Begin Today
Victoria, B.C. – All eyes will be on Elections BC starting today.
“Today is the start of final count for the provincial election and that will go to Wednesday,” says Andrew Watson, communications manager.
“Final count is the count of absentee ballots (just over 179,000) for the election. And all electoral districts in the province – all 87 of them – will start counting those ballots this morning.”
And is if that isn’t intriguing enough, he says two recounts – in Courtenay-Comox (where just nine votes separate the leading NDP candidate from the Liberal) and Vancouver-False Creek – start today as well.
“Then they’ll move on to final count later in the process.”
And it may not end there.
“The final results of the election are determined at final count but under the Election Act candidates can also request a judicial recount. Those applications must occur within six days of the final results being declared at final count,” says Watson.
“And if after final count the difference between the top two candidates is less than 1/500th of the total ballots considered in the election – the Election Act requires that a judicial recount occur.”
He says in 2013 there was one judicial recount – in Coquitlam-Mallairdville – and the difference after final count was 35 votes.
“That gives you a sense of how the 1/500th difference typically works out to in an electoral district.”
Watson says in that election, final count finished on May 28 while the judicial recount occurred June 4.
“So, it gives you a sense of the timing around any judicial recounts that may occur.”
A lot is riding on the final counts and recounts because the May 9 provincial was the closest in decades.
Currently the BC Liberals hold 43 seats, the NDP 41 and the BC Greens 3.
Comments
I wonder how long before someone claims improprieties in the system?
Bcracer, it will be everyone that looses :)
i think there will be less of a loss with a minority government.
If minority then will be interesting how Clark gets along with others now that she has to. If the numbers stay the same the Green Party has the power…
What would be nice from this would be if the area MLAs could now actually vote for what’s best for their area.. and not having to tow the party line..
Pval, Horgan has a problem: Excerpt from the Vancouver Sun:
In an interview with Global B.C.’s Keith Baldrey, Weaver was asked which leader he would be more comfortable working with. Weaver refused to answer that question directly — but he did say if he was going to work with the NDP Leader, Horgan would need to control his temper.
“(John Horgan) has exploded on me multiple times. I want to work with him, I really do, and I’ve tried and I’ve continued to try but he’s got to control his temper. So far, he hasn’t had issues with Clark.
Just got back from McLeod Lake and wonder when Bobby Deepak is going to grab those signs from the side of the road on the way to Bear Lake?
Just got back from Bear Lake this afternoon. Didn’t see any signs.
Liberal signs on foothills blvd.
Can’t wait to see the look at all the local teacher’s faces when their 400k homes are worth 250k next year, if their NDP win.
Yes let’s hope bad for all who have bought a house in pg … what is wrong with you?
Not at all what I said, but typical gibberish from you.
Can’t wait to see the look on your face if an NDP win.
What you are hoping for will hurt everyone. I know you hate teachers..but why would you wish financial disaster on anyone?
And the housing bubble burst concerns.. now they say if it’s even a %5 drop is considered burst..so would only mean a loss of $20,000.
Really hope no one loses on a house sale, that ain’t no fun no matter who you are.
Whoever takes the reins, just hope they keep us in the pink and don’t take us down that potholey road of the 90’s, never want to see that again. I want us all to prosper.
There should be a none of the above option on the ballot for elections like the last one so that winners are not picked by spoiled ballots; and so that all voters have a ballot option for voting thus increasing the vote legitimacy. Otherwise yes I view the election process as undemocratic and illegitimate.
Maybe when only the 30% hardcore partisans vote will we do away with forced choice elections like they have in Saudi Arabia and North Korea.
Back in the day when elections were about MLA’s first and party affiliation was not even on the ballot we had in excess of 70% turn out.
Now that parties are first and foremost on the ballot we barely get 50% turn out in some ridings… and it drops further every election, thus the voters are saying party centric politics is deligitimizing the process and thus turning away from political involvement in the election cycle. We no longer elect the best candidates on merit, but rather pick the lesser of two evils based on fear tactics, party loyalties, and the ability of candidates to fall in line with the whims of party leadership.
The only way to stem the disintegration of our civics in politics is to bring in a ranked ballot that puts all candidates whether party affiliated or indipendent on an equal footing, and thus increasing the sovereign authority of MLA’s within the legislature as primacy over party politics. Political office should be about meritocracy and not nepotism and politically correct automatons of party control based on identity politics and quotas.
That and the rebuke of a none of the above option on a ballot for when only party candidates and or bad candidates are the options available… IMO.
Very well said. I would add, make it law ads of any kind regarding who to vote for, attack ads, totally be gone from politics in campaigning. AND, limit the ridiculous amount of signs.
We always seem to find excuses for people who sit on their butts, and are to uninterested or lazy to go to the polls once every four years and vote.
Why would anyone want to change a system to involve people who are too lazy to be involved. If these people dont want to vote, then good. Who cares??
The more serious problem is when we have a minority Government (which we could have this time around) and the party who holds the **so called power** has only three elected representatives, and who, for all intents and purposes, had 80% of the electors voting against them.
So with 16% of the vote the Green Party can dictate some of their policies even though they have been soundly rejected by the majority of voters in BC.
Unless the Greens form Government with the NDP their time in Government will be short lived. If Christy has a one seat majority and has to kotow to the NDP or Greens, I would expect another election by this September.
greens don’t have the power they have the deciding votes , there is a difference.
What this means now is Clark will have to do what is best for the province not what is best for her financial donors or it will be voted out.
Now those elected will actually have to go to Victoria and earn their paychecks.
You still don’t get it Palopu . Even if they get to 44 seats , it doesn’t matter . The libs will have to appoint a speaker of the house . He/she must be an elected mla . That , if they have 44 seats means they will be back at 43 upon the appointment of the speaker . They could get one from the other parties , if willing, but , that ain’t gonna happen . So Andrew and the greens will hold the balance . Which is great . Andrew will play chess while the lib/NDP play checkers .
I’ll just be happy to see a LITTLE bit of stability after this.
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