Norfolk County announces results of Ward 4 Councillor recount
Norfolk County has completed the recount for the office of Ward 4 Councillor following a tie in the 2026 Municipal Election.
The recount was conducted by William Tigert, Norfolk County Clerk, in accordance with the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 and the Clerk’s established recount procedures. The recount included votes cast for Ward 4 Councillor during Advance Voting and Election Day, as well as votes cast through online voting.
Following completion of the recount, the Vote results for Ward 4 Councillor are:
- Drew Hemsley - 410 votes
- Jeni Lambert – 858 votes
- Chris Van Paassen – 858 votes
The recount confirmed that the two candidates remained tied.
Under section 62(3) of Ontario’s Municipal Elections Act, 1996, when a recount confirms that two or more candidates who cannot both be declared elected have received the same number of votes, the Clerk is required to choose the successful candidate by lot.
In accordance with this legislative requirement and the Clerk’s established recount procedure, the names of the tied candidates were placed in a hat, and William Tigert, Norfolk County Clerk, drew one name to determine the successful candidate.
Chris Van Paassen was selected by lot as Councillor for Ward 4, subject to the legislated waiting period of 15 days. The Legislation is as follows:
Application for judicial recount
63 (1) A person described in subsection (2) who disputes the validity of a ballot or of the counting of votes in a ballot may, within 15 days after the clerk announces the result under section 62, apply to the Superior Court of Justice for a recount limited to the disputed ballots.
If no application has been made for a judicial recount under section 63, the Clerk shall, on the 16th day after the recount is completed, declare the successful candidate elected.
Norfolk County thanks the candidates, election officials, scrutineers, and legal representatives who participated in the recount process.
