Recounts coming for Nunavut seats with tied votes
Process to select Rankin Inlet South and Uqqummiut MLAs could take weeks or months
People in two Nunavut constituencies who are still waiting to find out who their MLA will be could be waiting several days, weeks, or even months, says Elections Nunavut.
There were ties in Rankin Inlet South, where Lorne Kusugak and Alexander Sammurtok each have 172 votes, and in Uqqummiut, where Samuel Nuqingaq and Niore Iqalukjuaq each have 187 votes.
A Nunavut judge will oversee the recounts.
"Everyone is working very hard to get this done as quickly as possible," said Patrick Orr with Elections Nunavut. "We know that having seats subject to judicial recount slows things down, and people want certainty, and to know who'll be their MLA."
Orr says the court will try to arrange recounts within 10 days but it could take longer, if the court is busy with criminal matters.
If a recount still ends in a tie, Elections Nunavut will order a byelection and Orr says that might not happen until the new year.