Elections BC will start counting mail in ballots this Friday, and Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows voters and candidates will see within about three days whether the Oct. 24 election night results will stand.
The provincial elections agency released updated numbers this week, revealing how many absentee ballots had been received from each riding by the election day deadline.
In Maple Ridge-Mission, there are 8,308 certification envelopes still to open and count, while in Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows, there are 8,611.
As of this week, so far in Maple Ridge-Mission, NDP candidate Bob D’Eith was ahead with 9,733 votes to the 6,415 of Liberal candidate Chelsa Meadus. A total of 18,214 ballots had been cast.
In Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows, Lisa Beare of the NDP was ahead with 10,231 votes to the 6,523 cast for Cheryl Ashlie of the Liberals.
According to Elections BC, counting of the mail in ballots starts Friday, Nov. 6 at 10 a.m. and will be updated online at results.elections.bc.ca. Keep an eye on www.mapleridgenews.com as well for further updates.
The number of absentee and mail in ballots does not necessarily mean that every one of those votes will be counted.
Certification envelopes have to be screened to make sure they meet the requirements.
Also, any envelope with no ballot can’t be counted, and any one with more than one marked ballot inside also won’t be counted.
In addition to mail in ballots, ballots cast by voters who were outside their riding on election day, and those who cast at a district electoral office, will be counted in this final count.
READ MORE: NDP’s Bob D’Eith front runner for Maple Ridge-Mission
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