The District of Sooke has finalized the results of its 2026 municipal election following a recount and manual examination of ballots, confirming that the review will not change which candidates were elected mayor and councillors. The recount was conducted after an initial post-election review flagged two ballots for further assessment. A subsequent manual inspection uncovered three more ballots with markings that required adjudication, bringing the total to five ballots containing six selections that election officials needed to review. The District said the discrepancy stemmed from the way the ballots had been marked, rather than a malfunction or error involving the counting equipment. In each instance, officials determined that the voters’ intended choices were clear, but the circles beside the selected candidates’ names had not been filled in sufficiently for the tabulating equipment to automatically register the votes. The adjudication process resulted in adjustments to the vote totals for five candidates. Mayor-elect Kevin Pearson gained one vote, bringing his total to 3,141 from 3,140. Councillor-elect Herb Haldane also received one additional vote, increasing his total to 2,689 from 2,688. Three other council candidates saw their totals rise as well. Steve Sorensen’s count increased to 2,082 from 2,081, while Christine Thomas’s total climbed to 2,070 from 2,069. Landon Grams received two additional votes, bringing his final tally to 893 from 891. Despite the changes, the recount confirmed the preliminary results and did not affect the candidates elected to office. Candidates, their representatives and scrutineers attended the formal determination to observe the process, which was completed under Section 145 of the Local Government Act. The election drew significantly more participation than Sooke’s previous municipal vote. A total of 5,498 electors cast ballots in 2026, up from 3,358 in 2022, an increase of 2,140 ballots, or approximately 64 per cent. Based on estimates of the eligible electorate, turnout reached about 40 per cent this year, compared with roughly 26 per cent four years ago. The District noted that its official count includes mail-in ballots. The participation figure published on CivicInfo’s Election Results page excludes those ballots, which accounts for the difference between the two totals. With the recount and ballot review complete, the District has formally declared the official results of Sooke’s 2026 General Local Election.
