What now, B.C.?
How the election could play out, with Liberals a seat away from majority and Greens on rise
WHY HASN’T A WINNER BEEN DECLARED?
The initial vote count, which includes advance and general voting but not absentee ballots, was too close to call. Early results give the Liberals 43 seats, the NDP 41 and the Greens three — but five ridings could go either for the Liberals or the NDP. We will not have the final count until May 24.
Initial recounts
A candidate or official agent can request an initial recount if the difference between the top two candidates is 100 votes or fewer, or if there is a belief that errors were made in the acceptance or rejection of ballots, or if the ballot count doesn’t match the number of votes for a candidate. The written request must be received within three days after general voting day.
Absentee ballots and the final count
This happens May 22 to 24, allowing time for these ballots to be received at district electoral offices. Absentee votes are those cast in other districts, by mail, at special voting opportunities (for example, when election officials visit a remote work camp or hospital), or at sites that were not the assigned voting places.
“In B.C., you can vote at any voting place. So if you reside in Victoria but you voted in Prince George, your ballot would go into a certification envelope and be sent to your home district of residence to be counted there,” said Andrew Watson, communications manager for Elections B.C.
All eyes are on Courtenay-Comox, where just nine votes separate NDP candidate Ronna-Rae Leonard from Liberal candidate Jim Benninger.
In 2013 in the Comox Valley, 3,500 absentee ballots were counted after election day. Across the province in 2017, about 176,000 absentee and special votes were cast, representing almost 10 per cent of all votes.
Other districts where absentee ballots could make a difference: • Coquitlam-Burke Mountain: Liberal Joan Isaacs leads NDP Jodie Wickens by 170 votes. • Maple Ridge-Mission: NDP’s Bob D’Eith leads Liberal Marc Dalton by 120 votes. • Richmond-Queensborough: Liberal Jas Johal leads NDP’s Aman Singh by 263 votes. • Vancouver-False Creek: Liberal Sam Sullivan leads NDP’s Morgane Oger by 560 votes.
Judicial recounts
After the final count, parties can ask for a judicial recount, through the Supreme Court of British Columbia. A voter, candidate, representative or district electoral officer can make the request if they believe ballots were improperly accepted or rejected, or if ballots have not been properly accounted for. The district electoral officer must apply for a judicial recount if there is a tie or if the difference between the first two candidates is less than 1/500th of the total ballots considered. The application must be made within six days after the final count is done and official results are declared.