Nine Days After Polls Close, Absentee Ballot Count May Determine Outcome of BC Election

October 28, 2024 TruthUSA

Today might be the day when British Columbia’s election results are finally determined, as the counting of absentee ballots takes place. Recounts and a tally of mail-in votes over the weekend proved inconclusive in settling the contest.

Neither Premier David Eby’s New Democrats nor John Rustad’s B.C. Conservatives reached the necessary 47 seat threshold to secure a majority in the 93-seat legislature of the province. However, the counting narrowed the gap in favor of an NDP government as the Conservative lead in Surrey-Guildford decreased to just 12 votes.

There will be a keen focus on the Metro Vancouver seat when counting resumes at 9 a.m. today, with 226 absentee votes to be counted there. More than 22,000 absentee ballots statewide will be counted, potentially holding the key to the outcome of the October 19 election. Elections BC has committed to providing hourly updates on the results.

The current standings show the NDP leading or having won in 46 ridings, the B.C. Conservatives leading or having won in 45, and the Greens with two elected members.

If the NDP wins Surrey-Guildford and holds onto all other ridings where it is in the lead, it will secure the slimmest of majorities. Elections BC confirmed no change in party standings following the weekend count of mail-in and assisted-telephone ballots.

A full hand recount in Surrey City Centre resulted in the NDP lead decreasing by three votes to 175, while a partial recount in Kelowna Centre saw the Conservative lead cut by four votes to 68. The outcome of a full recount in Juan de Fuca-Malahat, where the NDP is ahead by 113 votes, will also be announced today.

The composition of the legislature could become evident on Monday, but judicial recounts may still occur if the margin in a riding is less than 1/500th of all votes cast. For instance, in the tight Surrey-Guildford race where an estimated 19,306 votes were cast, the margin for a judicial recount stands at about 38 votes or fewer.

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