Is this Quebec riding already headed toward a byelection? Here's what to know
Depending on what happens over the coming days, the voters in a Quebec riding thought to be decided by a single vote could be headed back to the polls as a result of a tie.
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Two days after a judicial recount certified Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste as having barely defeated Bloc Québécois incumbent Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné, Noovo Info and CBC reported that a mail-in ballot sent before Elections Canada's deadline was returned to the sender on May 2, four days after the election.
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And it turns out Emmanuelle Bossé is a Bloc supporter.
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In an email to National Post, the independent agency confirmed an 'error with the return address printed on this elector's return envelope. Specifically, part of the postal code was wrong.'
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Bossé told Noovo she would have voted in person had she known ahead of time.
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What happens now will likely depend on what Elections Canada decides and, as of Tuesday, they 'are still working to gather all the facts.'
Under the Canada Elections Act, in the event of a tie following a judicial recount, the Chief Electoral Officer shall, through a report or via two MPs or two candidates who have been declared elected, promptly notify the House of Commons, 'that, as no candidate was declared elected in the electoral district because of the equality of votes, a by-election will be conducted.'
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Whether Bossé's lost but otherwise legitimate vote will be counted as part of the judicial recount remains to be seen. It's not immediately clear in this situation if it's under the purview of the courts or the Chief Electoral Officer.
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Should the vote not be counted, and Sinclair-Desgagné wishes to challenge the validity of the vote to potentially force a byelection, she or an elector can formally contest the result via the courts.
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'In a contested election proceeding, a judge determines … whether there were any irregularities, fraud, or corrupt or illegal practices that affected the result of the election,' Elections Canada explains.
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