Vancouver says no recount required unless there’s a tie, as runner-up mulls options
Posted October 21, 2018 1:40 pm.
Last Updated October 21, 2018 8:43 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER – Vancouver’s runner-up in the race for mayor says he won’t concede until he has a chance to consult advisors, but the City of Vancouver says no recount is required unless there’s a tie.
Local entrepreneur Ken Sim says he owes it to supporters to make sure the votes were counted properly after former NDP MP Kennedy Stewart defeated him by a margin of fewer than 1,000 votes — or less than one per cent of total votes cast.
RELATED: City of Vancouver elects independent candidate Kennedy Stewart
Chief Electoral Officer with the city, Rosemary Hagiwara, says Sim has until Oct. 29 to apply for a recount.
“The candidate or an electorate can request for a recount at the provincial court, but there isn’t a threshold specified in the Vancouver charter,” Hagiwara said. “So when they make the application, it’s really up to the provincial court to authorize the recount or not.”
If the court approves a recount, Hagiwara said the process can look very different depending on what the candidate asks. She said Sim could ask for a full vote recount, or he could focus on specific polling stations.
“It really depends on what we get from the court,” she said. “We won’t know until we go through that process.”
WATCH: What Matters In Vancouver?
If a recount takes place, the city has until Nov. 2 to have the new results ready, Hagiwara explained.
As for the costs, that will also vary depending on the request.
“It’s hard to say because if it’s the whole election and we were to recount all the ballots that were cast it would take us some time, a lot more resources obviously would be required and under a very short time frame,” Hagiwara added.
RELATED: Women shoot to the top in Vancouver politics, but ethnic diversity takes a hit
If approved, she said this might be Vancouver’s first ever voting recount.
It wasn’t the only close race in British Columbia’s local elections, which saw razor-thin wins of only one vote in Peachland and two votes on Bowen Island, according to unofficial results.
