Elections BC is looking into a Conservative vote complaint

Elections British Columbia is investigating a complaint of voting irregularities in an election where the NDP’s narrow victory gave it a one-seat majority in October’s election, with British Conservative leader John Rustad highlighting allegations of improper voting at an addiction treatment facility.

Rustad says other alleged violations include non-citizens and non-residents voting in certain constituencies, and he wants assurances for British Columbia voters that “only Canadian citizens are voting.”

The Conservative leader says his party wants an independent review of the election process, and Surrey-Guildford candidate Honveer Singh Randhawa says he plans to pursue his appeal to Elections BC by asking the British Columbia Supreme Court to overturn the results.

Elections BC says Randhava’s complaint, filed last Friday, is “pending.”

The NDP’s Harry Begg was declared the winner in Surrey-Guildford by 22 votes after a manual recount gave Prime Minister David Aby a near majority.

Confirmation of Begg’s victory came nearly three weeks after the election failed to declare a majority.

The result gave the NDP 47 seats in the 93-seat legislature, while the British Columbia Conservatives won 44 seats and the Greens won two.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on January 9, 2025.