District of Sooke Declares Official 2026 General Local Election Results Following Recount

Official results for the District of Sooke’s 2026 General Local Election have now been declared following completion of the post-election ballot reconciliation and review process, which included counting ballots to confirm the results under section 145 of the Local Government Act. 

The recount confirmed the outcome of the preliminary election results, with no change to the candidates elected as Mayor and Councillors. Candidates, agents and scrutineers attended the formal determination to observe the process. 

The initial post-election reconciliation and review identified two ballots requiring further adjudication, prompting the recount. During the subsequent manual inspection, election officials identified three additional ballots, bringing the total to five ballots containing six selections requiring adjudication. In each case, voter intent was clear; however, the corresponding voting circles were not sufficiently filled in for those selections to be automatically recognized by the tabulating equipment. 

The review confirmed the discrepancy resulted from how the ballots were marked, rather than any error or malfunction of the tabulating equipment.  

Following adjudication of the markings:

• Mayor-elect Kevin Pearson received one additional vote, increasing his total from 3,140 to 3,141;
• Councillor-elect Herb Haldane received one additional vote, increasing his total from 2,688 to 2,689;
• Councillor candidate Steve Sorensen received one additional vote, increasing his total from 2,081 to 2,082;
• Councillor candidate Christine Thomas received one additional vote, increasing her total from 2,069 to 2,070; and
• Councillor candidate Landon Grams received two additional votes, increasing his total from 891 to 893. 

These adjustments did not change the outcome of the election. 

A total of 5,498 electors cast ballots in the 2026 election, compared with 3,358 ballots cast in 2022. This represents an increase of 2,140 voters, or approximately 64% more ballots cast than in the previous General Local Election. Based on estimated eligible voters, voter turnout was approximately 40% in 2026, compared with approximately 26% in 2022. 

The District’s total of 5,498 ballots includes mail ballots. The election participation figure displayed through the CivicInfo Election Results page does not include mail ballots and, as a result, differs from the District’s official total. 

Mayor 

The number of votes cast for Mayor were:

• PEARSON, Kevin – 3,141
• BEDDOWS, Al – 2,307 

Kevin Pearson has been elected Mayor of the District of Sooke. 

Councillors 

The number of votes cast for Councillor were: 

• HALDANE, Herb – 2,689
• PEARCE, Rob – 2,321
• STRONGWIND, Katherine – 2,301
• EVANS, Janet – 2,290
• PETEREC, Curtis – 2,226
• LIFTON, Elliot – 2,177
• RITTS, Helen – 2,172
• SORENSEN, Steve – 2,082
• THOMAS, Christine – 2,070
• BELFORD, Susan – 1,830
• McHATTIE, Brian – 1,787
• ST-PIERRE, Tony – 1,487
• LAZZAR, Kyra – 1,405
• DOWHY, Noah – 1,330
• DICKINSON-WILDE, Nick – 982
• GRAMS, Landon – 893 

Herb Haldane, Rob Pearce, Katherine Strongwind, Janet Evans, Curtis Peterec and Elliot Lifton have been elected Councillors. 

Sooke Gathering Place Plebiscite 

Electors were also asked the following non-binding opinion question: 

“In your opinion, should the District of Sooke consider borrowing up to a maximum of $5 million to support the construction and initial operational start-up of the Sooke Gathering Place intergenerational centre to be located on District-owned property at 6671 Wadams Way?” 

The results were:

• YES – 2,687
• NO – 1,813 

The plebiscite is non-binding and will inform the incoming Council’s future consideration of the proposal. The result does not authorize borrowing, approve construction or commit District-owned land to the project. 

“Thank you to everyone who participated in this election, and to the candidates and public for their patience and understanding as we completed the process from preliminary to official results,” said Greg Lowis, Chief Election Officer. “Preliminary results are released before the reconciliation and verification process is complete. The formal determination, including a recount when warranted, is an important safeguard to ensure voter intent is considered consistently and the official results are accurate. I also want to sincerely thank the election officials and staff whose careful work supported the integrity of the process.”  

The incoming Mayor and Council will be sworn in at the District of Sooke’s Inaugural Council Meeting on Monday, November 2, 2026. 

Full election information and results are available at sooke.ca/elections.