NDP projected to win in Surrey City Centre as absentee ballot count continues in B.C. election
More than 22,000 absentee ballots provincewide to be counted Monday, 9 days after election day
Kkritika Suri
The CBC News decision desk has projected a victory for the B.C. NDP in the Surrey City Centre riding. This update comes as Elections B.C. continues counting absentee ballots, following the weekend tally of mail-in ballots.
Before the weekend count, the NDP held a narrow 93-vote lead in Surrey City Centre based on general election day results. With this projected win, the NDP has now secured 45 ridings and is leading in one more. A total of 47 seats are required to form a majority government.
Today’s absentee ballot count could determine the outcome of the provincial election, which remains unresolved after recounts and mail-in ballot tallies over the weekend.
Neither David Eby's B.C. NDP nor John Rustad's B.C. Conservatives reached the 47-seat threshold required for a majority in the 93-seat legislature. However, the NDP’s chances of forming a majority improved when the Conservative lead in the Surrey-Guildford riding shrank to just 12 votes.
Attention is now focused on Surrey-Guildford, where counting resumes at 9 a.m. PT with 226 absentee votes still to be processed.
Elections B.C. has promised hourly updates as over 22,000 absentee ballots from across the province are counted throughout the day.
As of 6:30 a.m. PT, the standings show the NDP leading or elected in 46 ridings, the B.C. Conservatives leading or elected in 45, and the Greens with two seats. If the NDP wins Surrey-Guildford and retains its other leads, it will secure a slim majority with 47 seats.
Elections B.C. reported no changes to party standings after the weekend count of mail-in and assisted-telephone ballots concluded on Sunday.
In Surrey City Centre, a full hand recount reduced the NDP’s lead by three votes to 175. Meanwhile, a partial recount in Kelowna Centre narrowed the Conservative lead by four votes, leaving it at 68. The outcome of a full recount in Juan de Fuca-Malahat, where the NDP leads by 113 votes, is expected on Monday.
While the composition of the legislature may soon be finalized, judicial recounts could still be triggered if the margin in a riding is less than 1/500th of the total votes cast.
For example, in the tight race in Surrey-Guildford, where approximately 19,306 votes were cast, a margin of 38 votes or fewer would qualify for a judicial recount.
Judicial recounts are conducted by a B.C. Supreme Court justice and, according to the B.C. Election Act, must be completed within 15 days of the official election results being declared.
