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Recount for High Arctic byelection

Less than two per cent separates Rebecca Williams and David Roberts in Monday's byelection, resulting in an automatic recount

Maria Canton
Northern News Services

Arctic Bay (Dec 05/00) - The result of Monday night's byelection for the High Arctic seat in the Nunavut Legislature was so close that an automatic recount will be conducted later this week before a judge.

Unofficially, Rebecca Williams finished in first place with 88 votes, David Roberts came in second with eight votes less at 80.

Fact File

Eligible voters - 598
Votes cast - 422
Rejected ballots - 3

Rebecca Williams - 88
David Roberts - 80
Levi Barnabas - 73
Natsiq Kango - 60
Joanasie Akumalik - 59
Tommy Tatatuapik - 22
Tommy Enuaraq - 22
Leah Kalluk - 15


According to the Elections Act, when the margin is two per cent or less between the top two finishers, an automatic recount is held before a judge.

Of the 598 eligible voters, 422 cast a ballot. Rejected ballots totalled three.

However, a recount in the High Arctic, which includes Grise Fiord, Resolute Bay, Nanisivik and Arctic Bay, is an undertaking that involves a lot of waiting on flights and hoping for good weather.

"The earliest the recount can start is Saturday because that's when the ballot box from Grise Fiord will arrive in (Arctic Bay) and that's if the weather is good. If not, the next chance is next Tuesday," said Cecil Marshall, the Returning Officer for the election who is based in Arctic Bay.

All of the ballot boxes have to be flown into Arctic Bay and Marshall said he still isn't sure if a judge will fly to there to conduct the recount or if he will have to fly south with the boxes to Iqaluit, where the judge is based.

"I wasn't expecting a recount so we have to work on all of the details today and decide what will happen, but as I said, it can't happen for a while yet," he said.

Rebecca Williams, who lives in Iqaluit but was in Arctic Bay for the election, says she is happy with the preliminary results and is waiting to see what the official outcome will be.

"I am happy with the outcome, I knew it would be close because there were so many of us running from Arctic Bay," she said the morning after the election.

"Everything went very smoothly, everyone co-operated and I'm just waiting for the official judicial recount."

Similarly, David Roberts, who lives in Resolute Bay, said he is satisfied with results from his first run for a seat in the Legislative Assembly.

"After I heard the results I thought it was close and I thought I did better than I expected. I had resigned myself to the numbers and was a little surprised when I was told there will be a recount, but I don't think it will change anything," said Roberts.

Currently, John Quirke, the clerk of the Legislative Assembly and the Chief Electoral Officer for Nunavut, is asking a judge to conduct a recount.

After that it is a matter of waiting for all of the ballot boxes to arrive in one location and for the recount to begin.