(Waterloo, Canada) – Waterloo Regional Council has approved a recount in the City of Waterloo’s regional councillor election after official results separated two candidates by just three votes. The recount is scheduled for November 9, alongside a separate recount in a tied Catholic school board trustee race.

The council decision on November 3 moves the regional contest beyond the original election results to an authorized review of the count. The Region confirmed the approval in a council update published November 4.

Official results from the October 26 municipal election showed incumbent Chantal Huinink receiving 8,605 votes, compared with 8,602 for Chris Moser, according to CityNews. Jim Erb received 13,994 votes. Those results placed Erb and Huinink in the two regional council seats representing Waterloo.

The three-vote gap between Huinink and Moser is the focus of the recount announcement. Approval of the recount does not itself change the election outcome: the ballots must first be counted again, and no recount result has yet been announced.

The Region says the City of Waterloo clerk will conduct the recount using the same method as the original count. It will take place alongside the legally required recount for a Waterloo Catholic District School Board trustee position.

CityNews reported that a City of Waterloo spokesperson confirmed the trustee recount would begin at 9 a.m. on November 9 in Waterloo council chambers, with the regional councillor recount happening at the same time.

The trustee contest covers Waterloo, Woolwich and Wellesley. Incumbent Conrad Stanley and candidate Anna Aceto-Guerin finished tied, CityNews reported. That race is separate from the three-vote regional council contest, although the two reviews will share a recount session.

For Waterloo voters, the next milestone is therefore the November 9 count, rather than another vote. The regional council approval establishes the review process; whether it leaves the standings unchanged or alters the result remains to be determined.

Accompanying image: editorial illustration.

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