New Democrat Ronna-Rae Leonard opens up larger lead in Courtenay-Comox
There are still about 900 absentee ballots still to be counted in Courtenay-Comox, but things are looking up for the NDP candidate in this hotly contested constituency.
Ronna-Rae Leonard was only nine votes ahead of B.C. Liberal Jim Beninger on election night on May 9.
But after the second day of counting of absentee ballots, Leonard is 101 votes ahead of her rival.
The final results are expected to be revealed today.
Meanwhile in Vancouver-False Creek, B.C. Liberal Sam Sullivan has a 406-vote lead over the NDP's Morgane Oger with some absentee votes still to be counted.
The count is also still in progress in Maple Ridge-Mission, where New Democrat Bob D'Eith has a 369-vote lead over B.C. Liberal Marc Dalton.
In addition, counting of absentee ballots will continue today in Burnaby-Lougheed, Kamloops-North Thompson, Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows, Nanaimo, North Vancouver-Lonsdale, North Vancouver-Seymour, Oak Bay-Gordon Head, Richmond-South Centre, Vancouver-Kensington, and Vancouver-West End.
The election-night results did not change after all the votes were counted in every other constituency.
This means that the B.C. Liberals won or are leading in 43 races; the NDP won or are leading in 41.
If Leonard wins in Courtenay-Comox, the B.C. Greens will hold the balance of power in the B.C. legislature with three seats.
The Greens' two new seats were held by the NDP before the election.
Update: At noon on May 24, Elections B.C. revealed that Leonard's lead over Benninger has increased to 148 votes.