Ballot recount confirmed for Yellowhead election on Dec. 3
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Brandon Sun access to your Free Press subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on brandonsun.com
- Read the Brandon Sun E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
*Your next Free Press subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $20.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
A ballot recount will take place to clarify results of the municipal election in Yellowhead Municipality, where 13 spoiled ballots hold the potential to unseat the mayor.
Staff at the Brandon Courthouse confirmed on Friday that a recount for the election is scheduled to take place at the courthouse on Dec. 3.
The recount will review whether any of the spoiled ballots will be included in the count, and whether the original tally was correct to award 376 votes to incumbent Merv Starzyk, 375 votes to Jim Garlick and 157 votes to Chantelle Shwaluk for the mayoral race, Garlick told the Sun on Friday.
A judge will determine whether any of the 13 spoiled ballots are valid and will also oversee the results after the original senior election official recounts the ballots, he said.
The results are expected the same day, he said.
Senior election official Kirsty Jones told the Sun last week that the one-vote victory gave rise to unrest following the election. Jones said she was “glad” that the judicial recount was initiated because it would clear the air and potentially catch any human error in the count.
A recount had not been triggered the day of the election, despite the close result, because no citizens objected during the count and staff are not legally allowed to initiate a recount unless the result is a tie, she said.
Garlick filed for the judicial recount on Nov. 3. At the time, he said his main focus was that the 13 spoiled ballots held significant potential to alter the results. He also said that he believed a double-count should have been done immediately due to the closeness of the race.
Garlick said upwards of two dozen residents messaged him on the issue, urging him to take action.
He said the courts had difficulty securing a judge to oversee the recount before December.
» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com