Halifax election results stand but some candidates still want recounts

The results of last Saturday's municipal election in Halifax will stand following this week's official addition, butat least two runners-up still plan to ask for judicial recounts.

Andrew Curran lost the District 10 race to veteran incumbent Russell Walker by 15 votes. The official additional on Tuesday, where totals on poll documents are reviewed, gave Walker an additional 20 votes.

Still, Curran said he will go ahead with a request for a judge to review the ballots.

'I feel it would be a disservice not to'

"I feel it's a duty of mine with the count being so close," he said, referring to other situations where the result has changed following a recount.

"In the interest of the integrity of the vote and all the folks that have voted for me and the work that's gone into it, I feel it would be a disservice not to do it."

Curranhas also expressed concerns about a newer apartment building on Dutch Village Road, wherehe said not all residents received voting cards.

However the building is a fairly new construction and a city spokesman said it is likely the voters list has not been updated to reflect the new residents.

"We received 20 names from Elections Nova Scotia for that building of eligible voters," said Brendan Elliott.

Municipality relies on provincial voters list

Elliott said the municipality does not do enumerations and instead relies on information from the province. Anyone who voted from updated addresses in last weekend's election would be added to the Elections Nova Scotia list, he said.

The official addition didn't change anything for Brad Johns he still finished 47 votes behind former CBC online writer Lisa Blackburn in District 14. Still, like Curran, Johns said he'd be requesting a recount.

"I'd like to see my ballots," he said."I think I owe it to the residents, myself and my kids."

Judges have 30 days to do recounts

In the other close race on Saturday, Linda Mosher lost to Shawn Cleary by 107 votes in District 9. The official addition gave Mosher one extra vote and her campaign manager, Mike Kydd, said she was still weighing her options.

"We'll have an announcement in the coming days," he said.

After receiving an application and a deposit of $200 for a recount, a judge has 30 days to complete the work if it's decided a recount is warranted. In 2012the municipality delayed swearing in the winners of districts where judicial recounts were requested until those results were complete.

Elliott said that would be the case again this year, with everyone else being sworn in on Nov. 1.