Official recounts are underway in close ridings. Here's how they work

Darren Major · CBC News

· Posted: May 12, 2025 5:53 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

One ballot turned retired to beryllium the difference-maker successful the Montreal-area riding of Terrebonne.

The riding underwent a lengthy process wherever the spot flipped betwixt the Liberals and Bloc Québécois before the authoritative recount results were announced implicit the weekend.

On predetermination night, the unofficial results showed that Liberal Tatiana Auguste had unseated Bloc incumbent Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné. The riding was aboriginal declared for Sinclair-Desgagné but past an authoritative recount earlier a justice showed that Auguste had won by a azygous vote.

While the backmost and distant whitethorn look confusing, Laura Stephenson, seat of the governmental subject section astatine Western University, says it shows a "deliberate and careful" accountability process astatine work.

"It's detailed, it's rigorous, it's careful. All of those things should archer you however earnestly our rules and Elections Canada are taking the result of our elections," she said.

Three different recounts are taking place. A recount successful Terra Nova-The Peninsulas successful Newfoundland and Labrador began Monday, different successful Ontario's Milton East-Halton Hills South volition commencement Tuesday. Windsor-Tecumseh-Lakeshore's recount volition commencement connected May 20.

Here is however the judicial recount process works.

Unofficial results and validation

Election workers number each ballot by manus successful beforehand of witnesses — typically representatives of the competing candidates. They past study those numbers to Elections Canada's headquarters, which are the unofficial results that voters spot connected predetermination night.

In the days following, returning officers — Elections Canada employees who are liable for an electoral territory — spell done a validation process to guarantee that the numbers reported connected predetermination nighttime are accurate. That validation process is antithetic from an authoritative recount.

"When you're talking astir hundreds of oregon thousands of polling locations and tons of results coming in, errors tin happen. Whether it's thing gets misheard connected the telephone oregon idiosyncratic accidentally types successful the incorrect fig connected the keyboard," Matthew McKenna, a spokesperson for Elections Canada, told CBC News earlier predetermination day.

"The returning serviceman for each riding goes done the statements of the ballot from each canvass and makes definite that that's checked against the records truthful that we tin set for immoderate small errors oregon mistakes."

Unlike authoritative recounts, the validation process happens successful each riding. When results are highly choky aft the validation process, recounts are triggered.

Recounts tin beryllium done upon request

A judicial recount volition automatically beryllium triggered if the fig of votes separating the victor and a runner-up is little than 0.1 per cent of the full votes cast.

This was the lawsuit successful Terrebonne, Terra Nova-The Peninsulas and Milton East-Halton Hills South.

In immoderate cases, a recount tin besides beryllium requested if idiosyncratic believes that the ballot number was improperly carried out. Typically specified requests are made by candidates, but immoderate elector tin inquire for one. A idiosyncratic who requests a recount indispensable bash truthful successful writing, supply their reasoning for the petition and marque a $250 deposit.

In Windsor-Tecumseh-Lakeshore, the Liberal campaigner requested the recount. In making the request, Irek Kusmierczyk cited much than a twelve affidavits from scrutineers for his run who had witnessed ballots that they accidental were valid beryllium rejected. A justice granted Kusmierczyk's petition for a recount past week.

How the recount process works

All recounts are overseen by a judge, and a prime fewer are allowed to instrumentality portion successful the proceedings. They see the returning officer, the candidates, the recount teams — each consisting of a handler, a recorder and 1 typical appointed by each campaigner — ineligible counsel for each candidate, ineligible counsel for the main electoral serviceman and 2 representatives per campaigner who are not members of the recount team.

Holly Ann Garnett, a prof of governmental subject astatine the Royal Military College of Canada, says the recount process tin beryllium rather rigorous.

"Essentially they're going to spell done each of the ballots and recount and marque definite that the tally that they had connected predetermination nighttime is the aforesaid arsenic it is erstwhile they spell done that recount," she said.

WATCH | Here's however an automatic recount works: 

The recount teams tin besides reappraisal ballots that whitethorn person been rejected connected predetermination nighttime and past determine if they should beryllium counted. 

A rejected ballot tin beryllium accepted during the recount process if the recount teams — which see representatives for each campaigner — unanimously hold that the ballot should beryllium reclassified.

But if determination is simply a quality among the recount squad connected whether a ballot should number oregon not, it volition past beryllium up to the justice to decide. The justice tin perceive arguments from some sides earlier making a decision.

Once the ballots are reviewed, the results are past announced.

Are recounts common?

Judicial recounts hap astir each election.

Two recounts occurred successful 2021. A recount successful Trois-Rivières confirmed that the Bloc campaigner had won portion different recount successful Châteauguay-Lacolle flipped the spot to the Liberals aft the Bloc campaigner had initially been declared the winner.

Two different recounts were requested by candidates successful 2021 but aboriginal dropped.

In 2019, 3 recounts were requested, but aboriginal withdrawn. Five were held successful 2015 — an further recount was requested and aboriginal dropped.

Why recounts matter

Stephenson says that portion it tin beryllium lengthy — immoderate recounts whitethorn instrumentality days — the process is meant to guarantee that the volition of voters is reflected successful the results. 

"We're pursuing [the] process and process is dilatory and deliberate and careful. And truthful I person a batch much religion successful the electoral process due to the fact that of that," she said.

Even though recounts person happened — and adjacent flipped seats — successful the past, Stephenson says much attraction is being placed connected this predetermination for a fewer reasons.

After the Terrebonne recount, the Liberals present person 170 seats — conscionable 2 shy of a majority. Even if the Liberals are declared the winners successful the remaining 3 recounts — which see 2 seats presently held by the Liberals and 1 by the Conservatives — they would inactive autumn abbreviated of a majority.

Still, Stephenson said adjacent having a enactment connected the cusp of a bulk is going to radiance much of a spotlight connected judicial recounts.

"[A recount] isn't thing that typically is going to marque specified a difference," she said.

That the run shaped into a two-horse contention is besides a origin successful the attraction fixed to the adjacent ridings, Stephenson said.

"We saw 2 precise wide front-runners instrumentality the bulk of the support. So, it's astir similar each small spot matters," she said.