PREPARATIONS are nearing completion for the final count of mail-in and other absentee ballots in the provincial election. The final count is scheduled to begin across the province on Friday, November 6 and is expected to take at least three days to complete.

The approximate number of certification envelopes containing absentee ballots for each electoral district is available here: https://elections.bc.ca/docs/progress-report-certification-envelopes-received-by-ED.pdf

Elections BC says that these figures do not represent the final number of absentee and mail-in ballots that will be counted in each district. All certification envelopes must be screened before being accepted for counting to ensure legislated requirements are met, and to prevent multiple voting.

Certification envelopes that do not pass screening are set aside and not opened. During the final count, certification envelopes that are found to contain no ballot or more than one marked ballot will also be set aside and not considered.

Candidates and at least one representative per candidate may be present at the final count, and must make a solemn declaration of secrecy before observing. Media are not permitted to be present at final count.

Starting at 10 a.m. on November 6, voting results will be updated as counting progresses at results.elections.bc.ca. Once a district completes counting a type of absentee ballot, results will be reported for that type of ballot, and the Elections BC website will be updated.

There are several different types of absentee ballots that are counted at the final count, including ballots cast at district electoral offices and ballots cast outside the voter’s electoral district of residence. Results will be updated on the Elections BC website on an ongoing basis during the counting process, and at the end of each counting day. Counting is expected to continue until 6 p.m. each day until the final count is complete, but counting hours may vary by district to ensure that the final count is completed as soon as possible.

As the final count progresses, a report on the Elections BC website will show the number of certification envelopes that have been considered in each district, and the total number of certification envelopes to be considered. This report will be available once final count begins.

Link:

·         Overview of the final count process for the 2020 Provincial General Election