Human error, missing documents delayed Kitchener-Conestoga vote count

Elections Canada says human error wasto blame for a delay in reportingresultsin a close race in the Kitchener-Conestoga riding in Ontario after the polls closed in Monday's federal election.

RjeanGrenier,regional media adviser for Elections Canada for Ontario, said Tuesday it appears a deputy returning officer possibly more than one accidentally sealed two copies of a summary of the votes, called the statement ofvote, in the ballot boxes from five polls.

"Some people made human errors and did not send the tally to the returning office," he said.

The returning officer and his staff had to track downpeople who were in charge of those polls to get the tally,he told CBC News.

Three copies are always made of the summary. One is to go in the ballot box, one goes to the returning officer and one goes home with the deputy returning officer as a backup, Elections Canada spokespersonDiane Benson said.

In this case, both the ballot box copy and the returning officer copy of the results were sealed in the ballot boxes for the five polls,Benson said.

The ballot boxes were then sent back to the returning office.

Around noon Tuesday, Elections Canada toldCBC Kitchener-Waterloo that Liberal candidate TimLouis had won the election, with 305 votes separating him andConservative incumbent Harold Albrecht.

The close result isdj vu for the riding, which saw Albrecht beat Louis by 251 votes in 2015.

Validation of the vote

Benson said it's expected "in the next few days, the returning officer will complete what's known as the validation of the vote.We should have more complete numbers then."

Every poll in Canada goes through a validation processthat's set to begin at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

The Elections Canada website saida validation of the results of a vote is performed by the returning officer within the week after polling day.

"The returning officer validates the results in the presence of the assistant returning officer, and any candidates or their representatives or, if none are present, at least two electors," the website said.

That count is what is then referred to as the "official result."

Ifafter validation there is a tie,a byelection would be held.