Chief electoral officer 'pleased' with election night experience

New Brunswick's chief electoral officer says she is pleased with how Monday's election results unfolded even though the final numbers were not known until nearly midnight.

"It went well," Kim Poffenroth said Tuesday.

This election was similar to 2014's in one way: it was a long night for people following the results.

The final seat tally didn't come in until midnight.

Poffenroth said it took some poll workers longer to complete proper recording procedures.

"We're going to have to, in the days and weeks to come, take a look at why they were later," said Poffenroth.

She said there were no issues with the tabulators. 

The last riding to complete reporting was Southwest Miramichi-Bay Du Vin, where PC incumbent Jake Stewart was declared the winner close to midnight. The People's Alliance candidate had led much of the night.   

What about recounts?

Poffenroth said recounts usually happen in ridings where a candidate was elected by 25 votes or less, but it doesn't happen automatically.

Someone must apply for one.

"If it is on the grounds of that slim margin, the judge does grant it on those grounds alone," she said.

Poffenroth said a judge does the recount.

"Any elector in the riding in question can apply."

At least two ridings fell below the 25 vote mark.

The riding of Memramcook-Tantramar saw the Green Party's Megan Mitton elected by 11 votes, and Saint John Harbour saw Liberal Gerry Lowe elected by 10 votes.

But Poffenroth said even ridings where more than 25 votes separate the winner from the runner-up can be subjects of recounts if someone asks.

"After the 25, it really doesn't make a difference what the margin of victory was," she said in an interview with Information Morning Fredericton.

"An application for a judicial recount can still be made to the court, but there has to be evidence that the judge considers credible by an affidavit that a particular situation has occurred."

She said that may be an election officer or tabulation machine failed to count properly or ballots were counted incorrectly.

"It's up to a judge whether a recount will go ahead."

Turnout higher this time

This election saw a higher voter turnout than the previous election in 2014.

Unofficially, Poffenroth said, the voter turnout sat at 67.1 per cent, up from 64.6 in previous election. 

The advance polls also did well, she said.

More than 87,000 people voted in those polls up from 67,000 in 2014.

"The advance vote was up significantly more than the actual overall total."

Student Vote program

Meanwhile, students across the province seemed to have a much clearer vision of what they wanted the government to look like.

A mock election saw more than 22,000 students vote at 200 schools.

And they elected a majority Liberal government with 26 seats.

The students gave the PCs 16 seats, the Greens four and the People's Alliance three.