Here is a good example of why every vote matters, and can make a difference, on election day.
It might be the closest election result in the province. In Smoky Lake County’s Division 2, a tie between two candidates was almost a tie between three candidates.
According to the unofficial results posted on the County’s website, Linda Fenerty earned 79 votes, Hank Kwasnycia earned 79 votes and third place finisher Johnny Cherniwchan earned 78 votes. The County posted on their Facebook page that there would be an official recount of the vote at 10:00 am on Wednesday, October 18, 2017.
I expect that the County elections officer will have a tie-breaking mechanism to use if the vote is the same after the recount.
5 replies on “Why every vote matters.”
Tie breaking method required under the MGA has both candidates names placed on identical pieces of paper and then drawn from a hat. The drawn name is considered to have received and additional vote and is declared the winner.
Thanks!
@Ryan is correct about the procedure, but it’s actually not in the MGA, but in the Local Authorities Elections Act, s. 99.
The Smoky Lake County website has Johnny Cherniwchan as the winner but they have not posted the tally numbers for each candidate nor if they had to decide with a draw
It appears that after the recount, Fenerty dropped from 79 to 78, and Cherniwchan went up to 79, leaving him tied with Kwasnychia. Cherniwchan then won the draw. From out of the race to winner!