A date has been set for the recount in Norfolk County’s Ward 4 election, where two candidates finished with exactly the same number of votes.
Norfolk County Clerk William Tigert will oversee the recount on Thursday, November 5, after Jeni Lambert and incumbent Chris Van Paassen each received 858 votes in the October 26 municipal election.
The two candidates finished tied with 40.36 per cent of the vote, while third-place candidate Drew Hemsley received 410 votes.
Under Ontario’s Municipal Elections Act, a recount is mandatory when candidates are tied for a position they cannot both hold.
The County says the recount will follow the same procedures used during the original election.
All marked ballots from advance voting and Election Day will be processed through vote tabulators, with new results produced.
Online votes will also be recounted using the same procedures established with the County’s election service provider.
Both candidates will receive official notice of the recount and are permitted to appoint scrutineers and legal counsel to observe the process.
What happens if the recount ends in another tie?
If Lambert and Van Paassen remain tied following the recount, the winner will be determined by lot, or a random draw, as required under provincial legislation.
Norfolk County says that draw, if necessary, will take place Thursday evening with the candidates present.
Lambert has previously expressed concerns about deciding an election through a random draw, arguing that voters should have another opportunity to choose their representative.
Van Paassen, meanwhile, has said he intends to wait for the process to unfold, noting that the Clerk is following the rules outlined in the Municipal Elections Act.
Norfolk County says further information and the official recount results will be released once the process is complete.
