LAKELAND - Over a week after the last ballots were cast, a winner of the Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul United Conservative Party nomination vote had yet to be determined.
Speaking on Saturday morning, association president Ron Young acknowledged it had been a longer-than anticipated wait but that each step of the process takes time, due to there being such a close vote.
He confirmed that the UCP party would be opening the sealed ballots in Edmonton on Tuesday to do a recount, following an appeal being filed and heard, last week.
The election to choose the UCP candidate for the Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul constituency was held from Dec. 10 to 12. The winner will be the UCP candidate who runs in the provincial election slated for the spring of 2023.
Ballots were counted in St. Paul after the close of voting on Dec. 12, according to information from the UCP party.
The results of the first ballot were: Scott Cyr at 250 votes; current MLA David Hanson at 288 votes; and Greg Sawchuk at 185 votes.
The number of votes required for a majority win was 362, and since no candidate had a majority, Sawchuk was eliminated due to having the least number of votes and “his ballots were re-distributed according to their second preference,” reads information released by the UCP.
Results of the second ballot were Cyr with 312 votes, and Hanson with 311 votes.
Cyr was then declared the winner of the nomination contest election.
As per article 10.1 of the Candidate Selection Rules and Procedures, one of the contestants in the Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul Nomination Contest did appeal the results of the Nomination Contest Election.
“The UCP Board, exercising its jurisdiction under the rules, has instructed the executive director or his designate to supervise a recount of the ballots cast and report the results of that recount back to the board,” according to the UCP information.
The recount is scheduled for Dec. 20 at noon and contestants will have the chance to be in attendance and observe the recount, or appoint someone to attend on their behalf.
Ballots have been stored in a bin sealed after the conclusion of the count in St. Paul. Ballots that were rejected at the count on Dec. 12 will not be reconsidered at the recount.
Questionable and objected ballots may also be rejected during the recount.
“The purpose of this recount is to establish the formal ballot totals and give assurances to contestants and the Board as to the underlying results before disputed ballots are considered,” according to the information from the UCP party.
A total of 723 UCP members of about 1,500 eligible voters participated in the vote from Dec. 10-12.
