Judicial recount in Surrey-Guildford underway, starting with 28 unreported ballots

An Elections BC sign is seen covered in rain on election day in Vancouver, B.C., Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

Election officials filed into an industrial building in Surrey, B.C., to begin a judicial recount for the most narrowly won riding in British Columbia's election, starting with 28 extra ballots found to have gone unreported days after the vote.

The recount will likely decide if the NDP's one-seat majority stands, after it claimed victory in Surrey-Guildford with a margin of 27 votes over the B.C. Conservatives, giving Premier David Eby's party 47 seats in the legislature.

Jill Lawrance, executive director of electoral operations at Elections BC, told reporters that officials would be counting 19,090 ballots in the judicial recount, which includes more 1,600 votes that were cast outside of the riding.

She says the recount — which is being done by 10 teams of two counters and two scrutineers — is expected to roll into Friday, and begins by examining envelopes that contain the 28 ballots that Elections BC said were unreported because of a data-entry mistake.

A makeshift courtroom was constructed using wooden desks and grey room dividers where Supreme Court Justice Kevin Loo called the session into order on Thursday, before addressing workers and getting the hand-count started.

The teams of counters, who lined tables along the perimeter of the warehouse, were paired with scrutineers from the New Democrats and the B.C. Conservatives and could be seen holding ballots in the air and agreeing on each vote.

Lawrance said teams "make their best assessment of the intent of the voter."

"If scrutineers raise an objection, both parties come to the table and if they agree on the vote, the judge has indicated he doesn't need to see it," Lawrance explained Thursday.

"But if there's a disagreement about who that vote should count for, that ballot will be brought to the judge, he will look at the ballot, hear arguments from both sides and determine who the vote should count for."

A full recount is also taking place in Kelowna Central, which was narrowly claimed by the B.C. Conservatives, while a partial recount will take place in Prince George-Mackenzie to tally votes from an uncounted ballot box that was found to contain about 861 votes.

The Prince George-Mackenzie recount cannot change the outcome, with the B.C. Conservatives ahead by more than 5,000 votes.

Eby said in a statement Wednesday that the judicial recounts will ensure every vote is counted. After those recounts, he said B.C. residents want to see "urgent action" on priorities including affordability and housing, health care, and building a strong economy. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.