B.C. election counting begins with hand counts and tabulators

British Columbia’s Oct. 24 provincial election moved into preliminary counting after polls closed, with election-night procedures combining hand counts at assigned polling places and tabulators for other ballots. Elections BC has scheduled final counting for Nov. 6 to 10, and the available reports do not establish preliminary winners or a provincewide result. The province held the snap election after NDP Leader David Eby called it on Sept. 22. Polls were open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time across British Columbia. At 7 p.m. Pacific on election night, polls had closed in communities on the east side of the Columbia Mountains, while Revelstoke and Trout Lake were due to remain open until 8 p.m. Pacific. Elections BC said the compressed preparation period and operational logistics of a snap election led it to use hand counts for election-day ballots cast at assigned polling places. Election officials reconcile the number of ballots issued and cast, then announce and record votes on tally sheets, according to the agency’s counting guide. Candidates may have a representative present during each count. Tabulators are being used for advance-voting and district electoral office...