After deliberations in a hearing in the Supreme Court for the judicial recount that we should be kept in the Kelowna-Centre riding, it was decided that the media should be allowed to observe the tables.

After the final count for the 2024 provincial election concluded on October 28, it was announced that Elections BC will apply to have judicial recounts conducted in Kelowna-Centre Surrey-Guildford ridings because of the razor-thin margins.

There were 25,747 votes cast for Kelowna-Centre MLA candidates but 34 of the votes were not counted because they were deemed “rejected ballots”.

Final counts showed a 38-vote difference between BC Conservative candidate Kristina Loewen, who secured 11,031 votes, and BC NDP candidate Loyal Wooldridge with 10,993.

On October 30, Elections BC identified three out-of-district ballots that had not been counted in Kelowna-Centre, bringing the margin to 40 votes.

A judicial recount is sought in the Supreme Court if the difference between the top two candidates falls within 1/500 of the total number of votes, as it does in Kelowna-Centre.

Justice Beames will oversee the judicial recount, which will take place in Kelowna on November 7.

She ruled that accredited members of the media will be able to observe the recount process, which will involve more than 60 tabulators, scruiteneers, data collectors and advisers for both the BC Conservatives and the BC NDP.