With the parties neck-and-neck across the country ahead of Monday’s election, the stage is set for a number of races too close to call — and recounts that could throw the total result in doubt. “The election results could be so close in ridings that there potentially could be eight to fifteen election appeals,” estimates Adam Dodek of the University of Ottawa. When a riding contest is decided by a small margin — “less than one one-thousandth of the total votes cast,” according to Elections Canada, a judicial recount is required. Candidates may also request a recount if they otherwise feel the results are in error. A judicial recount, which, if granted, occurs within four days of the request being filed, involves a ballot-by-ballot re-tabulation under the supervision of a judge of a superior court of the province.
The only other people allowed to be present at the recount are “the returning officer, the staff appointed by the returning officer, the candidates, a maximum of two representatives for each candidate, one legal counsel for each candidate and legal counsel for the chief electoral officer,” says Elections Canada.
There were four such recounts after the 2011 election. Two Conservatives — Ted Opitz and Jay Aspin — were confirmed as the winners in their ridings, while another confirmed Liberal Kevin Lamoureux’s victory over NDP challenger Rebecca Blaikie. The other recount showed the NDP’s Francois Lapointe as the winner by a small margin over Conservative candidate and incumbent MP Bernard Généreux.
Full Article: Recounts could complicate close election result | iPolitics.