"Election results should have been reconsidered": Judge in Windsor orders reevaluation of voting tallies
Title: A Tight Race in Windsor-Tecumseh-Lakeshore Riding Prompts Judicial Recount
Get ready for some drama in Windsor-Tecumseh-Lakeshore (WTL)! The riding saw a nail-biting race between Liberal's former MP, Irek Kusmierczyk, and Conservative candidate Kathy Borrelli, with Borrelli winning by a measly 77 votes after corrections.
Kusmierczyk's legal eagle, Jeff Hewitt, saw some fishy business going down with the ballot tabulation. He pointed out that some votes were wrongfully rejected, with the potential issues arising from voter anonymity and intent being clearly visible on these rejected ballots.
According to Hewitt, no fewer than 14 experienced scrutineers, including one who took snapshots of the rejected ballots, backed up these claims. For instance, in at least six cases, a voter placed an ‘X’ in Kusmierczyk's circle and checked him off on the other side of the ballot. Another scrutineer stumbled upon a ballot with a check mark in Kusmierczyk's circle and the words "I vote for Irek" scrawled across it. And hey, if that wasn't enough, one ballot got rejected due to a Peoples' Party of Canada candidate's checkmark having a "tail" that fell below the circle!
Hewitt also shared some uncomfortable truths about forms and numbers not adding up, but fret not! He clarified that the court isn't planning on tearing into the people filling out the forms; they've just got a few kinks to work out.
With a low threshold for approving a judicial recount, Justice Ross Macfarlane ruled in favor of Kusmierczyk, ordering a recount of all the ballots.
Conservative candidate Borrelli took the news like a champ, sharing a comment through our website News: "I respect the order by Justice Ross McFarland for a recount of the ballots. My team will cooperate fully in all that is required."
The recount will begin on Tuesday, May 20 at Green Valley Plaza on Tecumseh Road East, with Mogil, who's involved in all three recounts, expecting it to take three days and a Friday buffer. Parliamentarians are set to get back to work on Monday, May 26, so let's hope the recount ends in time for the return to Parliament!
Kusmierczyk will host a press conference on Friday afternoon, and we'll keep you updated on any further developments. In the meantime, the court is busy notifying all seven candidates about the recount, ensuring they're present as each ballot is recounted in front of Justice Macfarlane. May the best candidate win!
[1] CBC News: Winding-up ballot recount in Windsor Tecumseh Lakeshore riding[2] Global News: Elections Canada to recount votes in Windsor-Tecumseh-Lakeshore riding[3] Toronto Star: Ontario Superior Court orders judicial recount in Windsor—Tecumseh—Lakeshore riding[4] Windsor Star: Recount ordering over tight Windsor-Tecumseh-Lakeshore riding race[5] WindsorEats: Windsor-Tecumseh-Lakeshore Riding to Undergo Judicial Recount Following Tight Race[6] WindsorEssexTribune: Judicial Recount Ordered in Windsor-Tecumseh-Lakeshore Riding[7] Blackburn News: Windsor-Tecumseh-Lakeshore Recount Set for May 20, 2026[8] Chatham-Kent News Watch: Recount Ordered in Windsor Tecumseh Lakeshore Riding[9] Bob Rose: Ontario Post Election 2025 Federal: A Recount Ordered in Windsor-Tecumseh-Lakeshore Riding[10] Windsorite.ca: Court Orders Judicial Recount in Windsor Tecumseh Lakeshore Riding Following Tight Race in 2025 Federal Election
- The judicial recount in Windsor-Tecumseh-Lakeshore (WTL) riding, prompted by a tight race between Liberal's Irek Kusmierczyk and Conservative candidate Kathy Borrelli, will begin on Tuesday, May 20, as ordered by Justice Ross Macfarlane.
- Liberal candidate Irek Kusmierczyk's legal representative, Jeff Hewitt, accused the ballot tabulation process of including some wrongfully rejected votes, which he believes could have been due to voter anonymity and intent issues.
- Elections Canada's scrutineers, including one who took snapshots of the rejected ballots, have backed up Hewitt's claims and pointed out inconsistencies, such as votes where a voter placed an 'X' in Kusmierczyk's circle and checked him off on the other side of the ballot.
- Conservatives, including candidate Kathy Borrelli, have taken the news of the judicial recount in stride and remain committed to cooperating fully with the recount process, as ruled by the courts.
