A ballot recount has confirmed that the United Conservative Party candidate received the most votes in a tight Alberta election race in Calgary — but by a slightly slimmer margin than the original tally.
The first count had the UCP’s Devinder Toor winning the Calgary-Falconridge seat by just 96 votes.
The NDP contender, Parmeet Singh Boparai, asked for a judicial recount because the margin was so slim.
Drew Westwater, Alberta’s deputy chief electoral officer, says the recount determined that 91 votes were cast for Toor of the UCP — five less than originally recorded.
The numbers were certified by Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Michele Hollins, who oversaw the recount in a Calgary courtroom on Tuesday.
Elections officials painstakingly counted several boxes full of ballots by hand while the candidates and their lawyers looked on.
Candidates have two days to appeal once a recount is certified, Westwater said. Once that time has passed, Elections Alberta will update its official results with the new numbers.
It’s the only recount arising from the April 16 election won by Jason Kenney’s United Conservative Party.
The UCP took 63 seats in the 87-seat legislature and the NDP won 24.