District of Sooke to Conduct Recount of 2026 General Local Election

The District of Sooke will conduct a full recount of ballots cast in the 2026 General Local Election on Tuesday, October 20, 2026. 

Following the release of preliminary election results, election officials completed the required post-election ballot reconciliation and review as part of the process to verify results before they are declared official.  During this review, two of the 65 ballots cast through mail ballot voting and the special voting opportunity at Ayre Manor were identified as requiring further adjudication. 

On both ballots, electors placed a clear mark by the candidate’s name; however, the circle itself was not sufficiently filled in for the selection to be automatically recognized by the tabulating equipment. The markings clearly indicated voter intent and were identified during the subsequent manual review. 

There is no indication of a malfunction or error with the tabulating equipment. The recount is being undertaken to ensure that ballot markings are reviewed consistently and that voter intent is appropriately considered in determining the official results. 

Preliminary results show a five-vote difference between the candidates currently in sixth and seventh place for the six available Councillor positions. 

Given the close margin and the two ballots identified through the post-election review, the Chief Election Officer has determined that a full recount is warranted. As part of the recount, ballots will be manually inspected by election officials to verify voter intent and ensure consistent adjudication of ballot markings. 

Candidates, agents and scrutineers have been contacted and invited to attend the recount on Tuesday, October 20, 2026. 

“Given the close margin for the final Councillor position and the ballot markings identified through our review, a full recount and manual inspection of the ballots is the appropriate step to verify the results and ensure all ballots are considered consistently,” said Chief Election Officer Greg Lowis. 

Updated results will be released following completion of the recount and determination of the official election results.