A hearing will be held in early May to determine if a recount will be held in the district of St. John’s East-Quidi Vidi.
Recounts are automatic when the difference is less than 10 votes. In this case, Liberal John Abbott defeated NDP Leader Alison Coffin by 53 votes, which might not normally end up in the courts. However, given the raft of allegations of improper and invalid voting, the NDP is forging ahead with its request for a recount.
Now it’ll be up to the Supreme Court to decide if their case is strong enough to warrant one. A hearing has been set to hear arguments for and against a recount in the district, as per a section of the Elections Act which sets out the conditions that must be met. Lawyers for the government say the hearing is necessary, citing continued mass confusion and miscommunication among the public.
The recount is by no means guaranteed, as was seen in 2011 when the court dismissed an application for a recount in Burin-Placentia West where the difference was 40 votes. Similar allegations of voting irregularities were made in that case, albeit nothing close to the circumstances posed by an election in pandemic times.
The hearing won’t take place until May 10, though Justice Donald Burrage did acknowledge time is of the essence, noting justice delayed is justice denied. In the meantime, MHA-elect John Abbott remains on the outside of the House looking in.
