More than 29,000 ballots cast in the municipal election will be recounted on Monday in Waterloo, after a tie in a race for a school board trustee position and a win by just three votes for a regional council seat. City clerk Julie Finley-Swaren said 64 workers will be involved in the process that’s expected to take the day. One recount will determine who won the second spot to represent the City of Waterloo on regional council. Incumbent Jim Erb finished on top of the vote, but other incumbent, Chantal Huinink, finished just three votes ahead of political newcomer Chris Moser. Earlier this week, regional council granted Moser’s request for a recount, given the thin margin. Finley-Swaren said if the recount changes the winner, the regional clerk will be notified and that person sworn in. “But if the count doesn’t change, and as of today, regional Councillor Chantal Huinink is the elected regional councillor,” Finley-Swaren explained. The second recount is for a Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) trustee position representing Waterloo, Wellesley and Woolwich. Linda Cuff has earned the first seat, but after the official results were tallied from the three municipalities, it showed incumbent Conrad Stanley and Anna Aceto-Guerin finished in a tie for second. A tie triggers an automatic recount in each municipality. Wellesley’s recount happened on Wednesday, November 4. Clerk Amy Harron told CTV News that because the municipality does internet and telephone voting, the recount consists of regenerating the results report document from the administration portal. The results did not change from what was reported earlier. Woolwich’s recount is scheduled for Tuesday. The final results in the WCDSB trustee election will be determined once all those numbers are in and tallied. If the two candidates remain in a tie, the winner will be determined in a draw. “We’ll put both names in an envelope, put those envelopes in a box, and then I’ll have someone draw the names,” Finley-Swaren said. “And then the name that is opened from the envelope is the elected representative.” If necessary, the draw would happen at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon in Waterloo. The recount will take place under many watchful eyes. “It is possible that ballots get damaged during transport,” Finley-Swaren said. “If that happens then we’ll make an attempt to recast it or we’ll remark. We’ll call over the candidates and scrutineers to make sure that we’re remarking it with the original intent.” Finley-Swaren said having the recount done using city resources helps keep the cost down. “We’re minimizing expenses for the taxpayer.”
