NDP widens lead but B.C. election remains too close to call

There is still no clear winner in the 2024 B.C. election after counting resumed on Saturday, but new numbers from Elections B.C. show the NDP gaining some ground.

The party now leads over the B.C. Conservatives by 106 votes in the Juan de Fuca-Malahat riding, up from 20, and178 votes in Surrey City Centre, up from the previous 93. The NDP has also tightened the race in Surrey-Guildford, now just 12 votes behind the Conservatives, instead of 103.

The updated numbers came throughout the day Saturday as elections officials began tallying the 65,000 absentee and mail-in ballots that had not yet been counted. Those tallies, as well as several riding recounts, are set to continue on Sunday and Monday.

Prior to Saturday,the B.C. NDP were leading or elected in 46 seats, the B.C. Conservatives in 45 seatsand the B.C. Greens were elected in two seats. In the B.C. Legislature, 47 seats are required to form a majority government.

No ridings were flipped due to the updated results, butCBCNews upgraded four ridings it had the NDPleading in to projected wins, as well as as one riding the Conservatives were leading in to a projected win.

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The full results ofthe 2024 election will not be made official until two recounts are conducted on Sunday and Monday.

Those will be in the Juan de Fuca-Malahat and Surrey City Centre ridings, where the NDP made gains on Saturday, but the original marginof victory was under 100 votes.

Week-long cliffhanger

British Columbians have been waiting all week to learn who their next government will be.

That's because Elections B.C. had to count around 65,000 absentee and mail-in ballots that were sent in after the close of advance voting, and wasmandated by law to wait until Saturday to begin doing so.

While most ridings' results this weekend will be counted by electronic tabulators, the recounts inthe Juan de Fuca-Malahat and Surrey City Centre ridings will be done manually.

The final tally will then be completed on Monday with the counting of more than 22,000 absentee ballots. Results will be updated on Election B.C.'s website hourly that day.

Any district where the margin of victory is 100 votes or less is subject to an automatic recount. Parties can also request a recount in close ridings.

In response to a question from CBC News about whether Surrey-Guildford where the margin of the Conservatives' lead has shrunk to under 100 votes would also see a recount, Elections B.C. said they will know the answer on Monday.

"Once final count is complete on [Oct.] 28 we will be able to confirm if a district will go to an automatic judicial recount," spokesperson Andrew Watson said in an email.

"If the difference between the top two candidates following the conclusion of final count is less than 1/500th of the total ballots considered, there will be an automatic judicial recount in that district."