Loyalist-Cataraqui district candidate Jacqui Collier has announced that she will not be pursuing a recount of the municipal election ballots that resulted in her narrow loss to Paul Chaves.
Chaves won the Kingston, Ont., district by a mere 35 votes out of 3,383 cast. A little over one per cent of the vote was all that separated the two candidates.
Following the election, Collier reached out to the city to request a recount and says she was told that, according to a municipal bylaw, a recount would only be automatically triggered by a tie in the vote count.
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“With thousands of votes cast and a razor-thin margin determining the election in my district of Loyalist-Cataraqui, I had hoped the clerk would be able to conduct a double-check with a recount. It seems good practice to do so when the margin is so very narrow,” says Collier.
The municipal candidate says she has spent the days since the election exploring another option, applying to the Superior Court of Justice to order that the clerk hold a recount. But Collier says she has decided against it. “Following investigation of the process required for a recount, between potential legal costs and the involved processes, I’ve decided not to pursue a recount at this time.”
In a statement released Friday, Collier said, “I have great respect and faith in our democratic process and our city staff. I love our beautiful Kingston, and I will continue to work gratefully and diligently for its betterment through the many organizations I’m privileged to be part of as a private citizen. I extend my best wishes to all of our incoming councillors on a wonderful term ahead.”
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