Nearly 5,000 votes ‘a waste’ as NDP didn’t notify Elections Ontario of southwest candidate’s withdrawal

In a surprising turn of events, Elections Ontario has revealed that the NDP failed to inform election officials about the withdrawal of one of its candidates, resulting in over 4,700 votes being cast for someone who was no longer in the race. The riding of Elgin-Middlesex-London, encompassing a large rural area in southwestern Ontario, saw a total of 51,465 votes cast in the recent election. Of those, 4,738 went to Amanda Zavitz, who had withdrawn from the race a week prior to election day.

The failure to notify voters about Zavitz’s withdrawal has sparked outrage among constituents, with Kelly Elgie expressing her disappointment in the New Democrats. Elgie, who voted in Thorndale, noticed the lack of information regarding Zavitz’s withdrawal and believes that the party owes the area an apology for the oversight. Progressive Conservative incumbent Rob Flack emerged victorious in the riding with 28,719 votes, followed by Liberal candidate Doug Mactavish with 12,578 votes.

Following Zavitz’s withdrawal announcement on February 20, a controversy arose surrounding comments she made in a video last March, where she expressed a desire to be a Black woman. Despite the controversy, the NDP failed to follow through on Zavitz’s withdrawal, according to Elections Ontario.

The formal process for withdrawing a candidate involves filing a one-page form with specific details, including the candidate’s name, riding, party, and signatures from both the candidate and a witness. Since there was no record of this form being filed for Zavitz, her name remained on the ballot without any notice posted at polling locations.

The lack of transparency has left voters and opposing parties feeling frustrated and disappointed. Laura Blondeau, spokesperson for Mactavish, expressed concern that voters were not fully informed when casting their ballots. While it’s unclear how the almost 5,000 votes for Zavitz would have impacted the election results, the incident has raised questions about the integrity of the electoral process.

Green Party candidate Amanda Stark, who finished fourth in the riding, highlighted the importance of clear communication in elections and emphasized the need for accountability from all parties involved. The incident serves as a reminder of the power of each vote and the responsibility of candidates to ensure transparency throughout the electoral process.