Conservative Leader Seeks Independent Review as Elections B.C. Says Box of 861 Votes Went Uncounted

British Columbia’s election agency revealed that an uncounted ballot box with 861 votes was discovered in Prince George-Mackenzie, along with other errors in vote counts across the province. While Elections B.C. stated these omissions won’t affect the final results, Conservative Leader John Rustad has called for an independent review, citing concerns about public trust in the electoral process.

Elections B.C. said the uncounted ballot box doesn’t impact the outcome in Prince George-Mackenzie, while 14 votes were also initially uncounted in Surrey-Guildford—a riding where NDP candidate Garry Begg’s 27-vote lead has prompted a judicial recount. Additional errors across 69 ridings were found, with these accounting for only 0.05 percent of total votes. Chief Electoral Officer Anton Boegman confirmed a review to ensure transparency, noting minor human errors are inevitable given the scale of election administration.

Political analyst Stewart Prest noted the timing of these revelations could impact public confidence, supporting Rustad’s call for an external review. Elections B.C. has promised further clarification in a news conference, while recounts in Surrey-Guildford and Kelowna Centre are set for this week.