Former Conservative leadership candidate Kevin O’Leary is calling on the federal party to recount the digital imprints of its ballots so that newly elected Leader Andrew Scheer doesn’t start his job with a “cloud” hanging over his head. Mr. O’Leary, who dropped out of the leadership race in April and endorsed then-front-runner Maxime Bernier, told The Globe and Mail that he sees “no reason why a recount shouldn’t occur.” “As a member and a former candidate, I would prefer that a recount be done because I think it clears a cloud that is obviously brewing at this point,” Mr. O’Leary said in an interview. … Conservative Party spokesman Cory Hann, however, said there will be no review. “The rules clearly state that once the vote is verified by the Chief Returning Officer and by the independent auditor, they are final and binding,” he said in an e-mail.
Mr. O’Leary’s comments come as the party grapples with a series of complaints made by the Bernier camp and an official from the Kellie Leitch campaign. The Conservative Party says 141,362 voters were counted at the May 27 vote, but a list provided to the campaigns shows 133,896 votes tallied.
… Mr. Hann apologized to Mr. Hill but said the party stands by the voting process. Mr. Hann noted the party’s constitution outlines which voting system to use, and members will have the chance to amend it at the policy convention next year in Halifax. “Our apologies to Jay Hill that he never received his ballot in the mail. Our records show we mailed him a ballot on April 21, and a replacement ballot after we heard from him, and we sincerely regret that it did not arrive,” Mr. Hann said in an e-mail.
“We mailed over 259,000 ballots, and of those about 1.1 per cent were returned by Canada Post as undeliverable or return to sender.”
Full Article: Kevin O’Leary calls for Conservative Party to recount digital ballots – The Globe and Mail.