Oromocto-Lincoln-Fredericton recount shows no change in tally
Justice Judy Clendening hand-counted 7,522 ballots
The recount for Oromocto-Lincoln-Fredericton has shown no change in vote tally
Liberal John Fife requested a recount after Progressive Conservative Mary Wilson won by 93 votes. He believed the votes did not reflect the support he saw in the Oromocto area.
He and his campaign workers were especially interested in checking the results from one polling station, but every poll had to be recounted under the rules.
"That was the whole reason for requesting a recount," he said. "We have a system where you go door to door … we thought we had really good feedback in that particular area."
Fife said the recount process was fair and he's satisfied, but his political future is unclear.
"You have to see a path to being successful and obviously I wasn't successful, so I think you have to accept those results and you have to move on," he said. "Would I ever offer for office again? I'm not really convinced that I would. I guess I'm kind of sitting a little bit on the fence."
Wilson said she's satisfied with the judge's decision and appreciated the civility of the campaign in Oromocto-Lincoln-Fredericton.
"I respected that," she said.
She did not attend any of the recount days at the Fredericton courthouse because she said she's been busy with meetings, but she had a representative there each day.
The recount was a slow process. On Friday, officials sifted through dozens of boxes of special ballots to find those for the Oromocto-Lincoln-Fredericton riding.
Thanking everyone for their work Justice Clendening ruled the results from the tabulation machines would stand.
Chief electoral officer Kim Poffenroth said this result reinforces her confidence in the machines.
"It's a long laborious task and that's why we're glad at Elections New Brunswick that the hand recounts have confirmed the accuracy and reliability of the tabulation machines, which makes the counting on all 49 electoral districts much simpler for everyone on election night."
The Memramcook-Tantramar and Saint John Harbour recounts also found no change in vote tally. Standings remain at Progressive Conservatives 22 seats, Liberals 21, Green Party three, and People's Alliance three.
Friday officially closed out election period, but Poffenroth said Elections New Brunswick still has work to do, perhaps preparing for an election that's nearer than expected because of the minority government situation the province is experiencing.
"An election that you have to be ready for on a much shorter timeframe costs more than an election that you have 18 months or more to prepare for," she said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
