Mandatory judicial recounts will take place in two British Columbia ridings, further prolonging the province’s closely fought 2024 election and potentially impacting the outcome.

Elections BC announced a recount in the ridings of Surrey-Guildford and Kelowna Center on Monday, once the final vote count was completed and signaling a victory for the BC NDP.

“A recount is conducted by the Supreme Court of British Columbia and may include some or all of the ballots and certification envelopes from an election,” a news release states.

If the winners of the two races remain unchanged according to the recount, the NDP will have the 47 seats needed to obtain a majority.

But when will these recounts take place and when will British Columbians know the results?

The answer, which many will probably find unsatisfactory, is that it is too early to know for sure.

The timetable for a recount is set out in the province’s Elections Act. The earliest the process can begin is seven days after the final count – the day after the nomination deadline, which Elections BC says is November 4.

This means that a recount will begin no earlier than Tuesday, November 5. The recount date must also be within 15 days of the final count.

“The timing of the recount will be determined by the court,” the Elections BC statement said.

Judicial recounts are mandatory in districts where the top two candidates are separated by less than 1/500th of the total ballots counted.

In Surrey-Guildford, British Columbia, Conservative candidate Honveer Singh Randhawa was ahead by 103 votes in the initial count on election night. But Gary Begg of the British Columbia NDP led by 27 votes after the final count – fewer than the 38 required to trigger a recount.

In Kelowna Centre, Conservative candidate Kristina Loewen led the NDP’s Loyal Wooldridge by 148 votes on election night, but her lead was reduced to 38 in the final count. A recount in this district would have been mandatory if the difference in votes was 49 or less.

In districts where judicial reviews are not mandatory, they can be requested by submitting an application to the court. A voter, candidate or precinct election official may file a request claiming, among other things, that “unopened or resealed certification envelopes or secret attachments contain ballots that should be considered” or “that a vote count does not accurately record the number of votes for a candidate,” according to the legislation.

In 2020, a recount was ordered in the riding of West Vancouver-Sea to Sky. The candidate who was in the lead after the final count was confirmed the winner, but the margin of victory changed slightly, from 41 votes to 60. In this case, the recount was completed 10 days after the final count.

The results of a recount can also be appealed. The deadline for appealing to the court is two days after the results of the recount are announced. A hearing must be held within 10 days of filing the appeal.