Nanaimo residents went to the polls today to vote for a new MLA.
A byelection was called earlier this month to replace Leonard Krog, the five-term NDP member of the legislature who resigned his seat last year after being elected mayor of Nanaimo.
The BC NDP’s Sheila Malcomson has won the byelection, which means the NDP will continue to hold power with the support of three Green party members in the legislature. The Liberals have 42 seats and Speaker Darryl Plecas sits as an Independent.
Election Results as of 11:14 p.m. PT
| Candidate | Party | Total Votes | % of Popular Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheila Malcolmson | BC NDP | 10538 | 49.22% |
| Tony Harris | BC Liberal Party | 8665 | 40.47% |
| Michele Ney | BC Green Party | 1579 | 7.38% |
| Justin Greenwood | BC Conservative Party | 442 | 2.06% |
| Robin Mark Richardson | The Vancouver Island Party | 100 | 0.47% |
| Bill Walker | BC Libertarian Party | 86 | 0.40% |
Ballot boxes reported: 111 of 111
Total valid votes: 21,410
Absentee ballots will be counted on or before Feb. 6. There were 45,359 registered voters in the Nanaimo electoral district as of Writ Day on Jan. 2, 2019.
WATCH LIVE: CHEK News’ special coverage of the Nanaimo byelection results
LIVE UPDATES
10:14 p.m. PT – Tony Harris has conceded defeat to Sheila Malcomson.
9:50 p.m. PT –CHEK News has called the Nanaimo byelection in favour of BC NDP’s Sheila Malcolmson.
The party has started @bcndp @s_malcolmson HQ confident now they have won #Nanaimobyelection @CHEK_News pic.twitter.com/3IrEFXq4ET
— Skye Ryan (@SkyeRyanCHEK) January 31, 2019
9: 41 p.m. PT – Cheers are erupting at BC NDP candidate Sheila Malcolmson as she sees a growing lead in the Nanaimo byelection.
Cheers are erupting @bcndp @s_malcolmson HQ as she sees growing lead in #NanaimoByElection CHEK_News Ben_oharabyrne pic.twitter.com/miHi4fhm0E
— Skye Ryan (@SkyeRyanCHEK) January 31, 2019
9:36 p.m. PT – Fifty eight of 111 ballot boxes have been reported by Elections BC. Sheila Malcomson has 4,780 votes and Tony Harris has 3,844.
9:30 p.m. PT – Sheila Malcolmson is 827 votes ahead of Tony Harris.
9:23 p.m. PT – BC NDP candidate Sheila Malcolmson now has 3,495 votes, followed by Tony Harris at 2,717 and Michele Ney at 526.
9:18 p.m. PT – Sheila Malcolmson now has 48.53 per cent of the popular vote, compared to Tony Harris’s 41.21 per cent and Michele Ney’s 7.53 per cent.
9:15 p.m. PT – Just under a 400 vote lead for BC NDP candidate Sheila Malcolmson
9:12 p.m. PT – BC Liberal Party candidate Tony Harris is getting closer to BC NDP candidate Sheila Malcolmson’s numbers. She has 1,880 votes so far but Harris has 1,706 votes. BC Green Party candidate Michele Ney has 284 votes.
9:09 p.m. PT – BC NDP candidate Sheila Malcolmson is still in the lead with 1,475 votes but BC Liberal Party candidate Tony Harris is not far behind with 1,260. Michele Ney has 221 votes.
9:03 p.m. PT- BC NDP candidate Sheila Malcolmson continues to be in the lead with 875 votes followed by BC Liberal Party candidate Tony Harris at 579.
9:00 p.m. PT- BC NDP candidate Sheila Malcolmson is still in the lead with 644 votes compared to BC Liberal Party candidate Tony Harris at 414.
8:54 p.m. PT – BC NDP candidate Sheila Malcolmson has taken the lead with 261 votes followed closely by Tony Harris at 236.
8:50 p.m. PT – Three of 111 ballot boxes have been reported. Tony Harris is in the lead with 164 votes, which is 49.85 per cent of the popular vote, followed by Sheila Malcolmson with 132 votes, which is 40.12 per cent of the popular vote. BC Green Party Michele Ney has 21 votes, which is 6.38 per cent of the popular vote.
8:31 p.m. PT – Reporter Kendall Hanson spoke with BC Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver at Green Party candidate Michele Ney’s headquarters as the wait for poll results continues
8:22 PT – Reporter Dean Stoltz speaks with BC Liberal MLA Michelle Stilwell at Liberal Candidate Tony Harris’s headquarters.
8:08 p.m. PT – Our reporters Skye Ryan, Dean Stoltz and Kendall Hanson will have full coverage from the B.C. Liberal Party, BC NDP and B.C. Green Party headquarters as result come in.
Room beginning to fill up for @TonyForNanaimo in #Nanaimo as polls prepare to close at 8pm. #ByElection @CHEK_News pic.twitter.com/bqtY3haTAr
— Dean Stoltz (@deanstoltzchek) January 31, 2019
Feeling the heat of all these cameras in #NanaimoVotes byelection @Ben_oharabyrne @CHEK_News Join us live at 8 for results as they come in. pic.twitter.com/pwCtFbhAu4
— Skye Ryan (@SkyeRyanCHEK) January 31, 2019
8 p.m. PT – Polls are closed and voters have finished casting ballots in a byelection that could leave British Columbia’s legislature tied and Premier John Horgan’s minority New Democrat government on shaky ground. A Liberal win would give the party 43 seats, tying it with the 43 seats held by the combined NDP and Green party, which signed an agreement after the 2017 provincial election allowing the New Democrats to form a minority government. Turnout has been steady at vote locations throughout the Vancouver Island city of 90,000 residents.
With files from The Canadian Press and CBC
CHEK News
