Close X
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
ADVT 
National

Eby wants all-party probe into B.C. vote count errors as election boss blames weather

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 05 Nov, 2024 05:12 PM
  • Eby wants all-party probe into B.C. vote count errors as election boss blames weather

Premier David Eby is proposing an all-party committee investigate mistakes made during the British Columbia election vote tally, including an uncounted ballot box and unreported votes in three-quarters of the province's 93 ridings.

The proposal comes after B.C.'s chief electoral officer blamed extreme weather, long working hours and a new voting system for human errors behind the mistakes in last month's count, though none were large enough to change the initial results.

Anton Boegman says the agency is already investigating the mistakes to "identify key lessons learned" to improve training, change processes or make recommendations for legislative change.

He says the uncounted ballot box containing about 861 votes in Prince George-Mackenzie was never lost, and was always securely in the custody of election officials.

Boegman says a failure in five districts to properly report a small number of out-of-district votes, meanwhile, rippled through to the counts in 69 ridings.

Eby says the NDP will propose that a committee examine the systems used and steps taken by Elections BC, then recommend improvements in future elections.

"I look forward to working with all MLAs to uphold our shared commitment to free and fair elections, the foundation of our democracy," he said in a statement Tuesday, after a news conference by Boegman.

Boegman said if an independent review does occur, "Elections BC will, of course, fully participate in that process."

He said the mistakes came to light when a "discrepancy" of 14 votes was noticed in the riding of Surrey-Guildford, spurring a review that increased the number of unreported votes there to 28.

Surrey-Guildford was the closest race in the election and the NDP victory there gave Eby a one-seat majority. The discovery reduced the NDP's victory margin from 27 to 21, pending the outcome of a judicial review that was previously triggered because the race was so close.

The mistakes in Surrey-Guildford resulted in a provincewide audit that found the other errors, Boegman said.

"These mistakes were a result of human error. Our elections rely on the work of over 17,000 election officials from communities across the province," he said.

"Election officials were working 14 hours or more on voting days and on final voting day in particular faced extremely challenging weather conditions in many parts of the province.

"These conditions likely contributed to these mistakes," he said. 

B.C.'s "vote anywhere" model also played a role in the errors, said Boegman, who said he had issued an order to correct the results in the affected ridings.

Boegman said the uncounted Prince George-Mackenzie ballot box was used on the first day of advance voting. Election officials later discovered a vote hadn't been tabulated, so they retabulated the ballots but mistakenly omitted the box of first-day votes, only including ballots from the second day. 

Boegman said the issues discovered in the provincewide audit will be "fully documented" in his report to the legislature on the provincial election, the first held using electronic tabulators.

He said he was confident election officials found all "anomalies."

B.C. Conservative Party Leader John Rustad had said on Monday that the errors were "an unprecedented failure by the very institution responsible for ensuring the fairness and accuracy of our elections."

Rustad said he was not disputing the outcomes as judicial recounts continue, but said "it’s clear that mistakes like these severely undermine public trust in our electoral process."

Rustad called for an "independent review" to make sure the errors never happen again. 

Boegman, who said the election required fewer than half the number of workers under the old paper-based system, said results for the election would be returned in 90 of the province's 93 ridings on Tuesday.

Full judicial recounts will be held in Surrey-Guildford and Kelowna-Centre, while a partial recount of the uncounted box will take place in Prince George-Mackenzie.

Boegman said out-of-district voting had been a part of B.C.'s elections for many decades, and explained how thousands of voters utilized the province's vote-by-phone system, calling it a "very secure model" for people with disabilities. 

"I think this is a unique and very important part of our elections, providing accessibility to British Columbians," he said. "They have unparalleled access to the ballot box that is not found in other jurisdictions in Canada."

MORE National ARTICLES

Recounts rarely alter elections. There's another reason they matter, says B.C. expert

Recounts rarely alter elections. There's another reason they matter, says B.C. expert
Premier David Eby's NDP claimed victory on Monday in B.C.'s Oct. 19 election, but the counting isn't over. Two judicial recounts were triggered at the end of the "final count," by an NDP candidate's 27-vote victory margin in Surrey-Guildford, and a Conservative candidate's 38-vote win in Kelowna Centre.

Recounts rarely alter elections. There's another reason they matter, says B.C. expert

Ottawa urged to halt imports of endangered monkeys for drug testing, amid U.S. probe

Ottawa urged to halt imports of endangered monkeys for drug testing, amid U.S. probe
The influx of long-tailed macaques from Cambodia, which the U.S. alleges are being illegally captured from the wild, has animal advocates, researchers and opposition politicians sounding the alarm over animal welfare and potential public-health risks. The latest push comes from the federal NDP, which is urging Ottawa to bring "immediate attention" to the issue. 

Ottawa urged to halt imports of endangered monkeys for drug testing, amid U.S. probe

Telecommunication theft in Abbotsford

Telecommunication theft in Abbotsford
Police say they're investigating an increase in thefts targeting Telus communication lines in the Abbotsford area. A statement from Abbotsford police says the thefts have interrupted 9-1-1 service and resulted in 100-thousand-dollars' worth of damage.

Telecommunication theft in Abbotsford

Pedestrian struck in Surrey

Pedestrian struck in Surrey
Mounties in Surrey are asking the public for dash-camera footage after a crash that sent a pedestrian to hospital with serious injuries. R-C-M-P say it happened last night in the area of 188 Street and 60 Avenue, where the man was allegedly struck by the driver of an Audi Q-3 S-U-V.

Pedestrian struck in Surrey

'Not how we do things,' Freeland rejects secret Liberal leadership ballot idea

'Not how we do things,' Freeland rejects secret Liberal leadership ballot idea
Last week, 24 members of the caucus signed on to a letter calling on the prime minister to step down, but the next day Trudeau said firmly that he will lead his party into the next election. Some of the dissenters are now calling for Liberal MPs to vote in a secret ballot on whether Trudeau should remain leader.

'Not how we do things,' Freeland rejects secret Liberal leadership ballot idea

Special interlocutor calls for 20-year probe into missing Indigenous children

Special interlocutor calls for 20-year probe into missing Indigenous children
A final report into missing children and unmarked graves at residential schools is calling on the federal government to create an Indigenous-led national commission with a 20-year mandate to investigate missing and disappeared Indigenous children. It's also calling on Canada to refer itself to the International Criminal Court for investigation.

Special interlocutor calls for 20-year probe into missing Indigenous children