There were plenty of stories that grabbed the headlines in the Central Okanagan in 2018, but likely the weirdest was the election害羞草研究所攐r rather selection害羞草研究所攐f Peachland害羞草研究所檚 mayor.
After voters voted and counters counted, and then re-counted, and then counted a third time, the result came down to luck of the draw害羞草研究所攍iterally.
After the initial count, a recount and a judicial recount of the just over 1,600 votes cast for all five candidates who were vying for the mayor害羞草研究所檚 job, incumbent Cindy Fortin and one challenger, Harry Gough, remained tied at 804 votes apiece.
So, as per the district害羞草研究所檚 rules of what to do in such a situation, a B.C. judge, popped two identical pieces of paper with Fortin害羞草研究所檚 name and Gough害羞草研究所檚 name on them into a small green wooden box, gave it a shake and plucked out the winner害羞草研究所檚 name. Democracy in action.
Days earlier, on election night, it appeared Gough had defeated Fortin by just one-vote. But, with the closest of results possible, a recount was assured. That recount led to the discovery of an extra vote for Fortin, so the tie meant B.C. provincial court judge Ellen Burdett had to oversee another recount.
To do so, Burdett and three B.C. sheriffs jumped into a black SUV at the Kelowna courthouse, drove south to Peachland, and set up shop in the cozy confines of Peachland害羞草研究所檚 community hall.
There, in a surreal all-day session where only the judge, the sheriffs, the candidates and their respective representatives, along with pre-approved district staff to do the re-recount and pre-approved reporters were allowed to attend, the laborious process recounting every vote under Burdett害羞草研究所檚 watchful eye took place.
And, in the end害羞草研究所�.nothing changed. The result was still a 804-804 tie between Fortin and Gough.
So Burdett turned to the little green box.
In that moment, for a few seconds, the serious business of electing the municipality害羞草研究所檚 mayor took on an almost game-show-like feel. And in the end, it was Fortin who got to come on down because the price was right.
One of the first thing害羞草研究所檚 she said she planned to do once she was sworn-in again was to have her council look at a better way of breaking ties in Peachland elections in future.
And it served as a bit of wake-up call for other municipalities to check how they would deal with such a situation, too.
Elections, after all, are held to do the will of the people. Drawing names out of a hat害羞草研究所攐r in this case a box害羞草研究所攌ind of nullifies that.
Important political decisions, even local ones in small municipalities, should not come down to chance.
Alistair Waters is the assistant editor of the Capital News.
