Counting of federal election mail ballots expected to continue until the weekend
The final federal election result may be delayed until the weekend - or even longer - because thousands of mail-in ballots have still to be counted.
Twelve ridings did not start counting mail ballots until Friday, Elections Canada confirmed Thursday.
In two tight races in B.C. - in Nanaimo-Ladysmith and Richmond Centre - postal votes could clinch the final result.
Officials started counting mail ballots on Friday morning in Nanaimo-Ladysmith, a three-way battle between the NDP, Tories and Greens, according to Elections Canada. Votes tallied on election night from polling stations suggest the NDP have a narrow lead in the B.C. riding.
Elections Canada had expected counting to have finished by Friday. But the count in some ridings might continue into the weekend, before a final result can be announced.
Officials have to check and verify mail-in ballots before starting to count them, to ensure they have been signed and people have not voted twice.
In some ridings, including Victoria, more than 10,000 mail ballots had to be verified before the count could start. A record number of postal votes was received at this election, some from people who did not want to vote in person during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Elections Canada said in a statement that in more than 300 ridings counting has now finished.
Recounts are expected in a few ridings with very close results, such as Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley in Manitoba where the Conservatives edged out the Liberals by only 24 votes
Elections expert Dennis Pilon said mail-in ballots “had made a difference in a few races.”
Pilon, an associate professor of politics at York University, said in very close races parties might ask for a recount, particularly if “spoiled” ballots were a matter of dispute.
He said scrutineers from each party carefully monitor how counts are conducted to ensure every vote they receive is tallied.
They pay particular attention to “spoiled” ballots, disregarded because they have been improperly filled out, or are difficult to interpret, in races with a photo-finish.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway.
BREAKING Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
Have you been removed from your family doctor’s patient list for visiting an Ontario walk-in clinic?
Some Ontarians are expressing frustration after they said that they were removed from their family doctor’s patient list for visiting a walk-in clinic in a process being called “de-rostering.”
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.