Elections Canada defends slow counting process for byelection, blames 84-candidate ballot

Elections Canada says the count in the Toronto-St. Paul's byelection that saw the Liberals lose a party stronghold went slowly but well, despite the challenges of managing a contest with 84 names on the ballot.

«The unusual dimensions of the ballot itself meant that some steps took more time than normal,» Elections Canada spokesperson Matthew McKenna told CBC News in an email. «Delays compounded across several steps over the course of the night.»

McKenna said the long ballots took more time to unfold and tally. He also said the size of the ballot itself meant that additional ballot boxes were needed.

«The counting and reporting process was done by hand, in front of candidates' representatives — the count continued into the night until all results were published online,» McKenna said.

«We always do our best to share election results as soon as possible after polls close, but maintaining the integrity and transparency of the counts is always our first priority.»

The unusually long list of candidates on the ballot can be attributed to a group of electoral reform advocates called the Longest Ballot Committee.

According to the spokesperson for the group — the Rhinocéros Party president who goes by the name Sébastien CoRhino — the Longest Ballot Committee helped 77 candidates get onto the ballot, including CoRhino.

The candidates who took part in the Longest Ballot Committee protest, said CoRhino, included the candidates for the Rhinocéros, Marxist-Leninist and Marijuana parties and all the independent and unaffiliated candidates except for Cory Deville.

The Longest Ballot Committee's slate of electoral reform candidates collectively earned 1,068 votes out of the 36,962 ballots cast — nine more votes than the Green Party's candidate,