June 25, 2025
Parteek Singh Mahal
SURREY, BC – Elections BC has filed its official response in the B.C. Supreme Court regarding a petition from Honveer Singh Randhawa, the Conservative candidate who lost the Surrey-Guildford riding by a narrow 22 votes to New Democrat Garry Begg last year.
Randhawa filed his petition on January 13 in New Westminster, seeking to have Begg’s election declared invalid under Section 150 of the Election Act, which allows for an election to be overturned if it was “not conducted in accordance with this Act or a regulation under this Act.
Randhawa’s challenge specifically targets 22 mail-in ballots linked to a care facility in Surrey.
In its response filed on June 19, Elections BC acknowledged that its staff observed the same email and phone number were used to request these 22 mail-in ballot packages. The petition notes, “However, the team also noted that the request came from a care facility with resident individuals.”
Elections BC staff approved the request, citing recent changes to the Election Act that permit an individual to assist “more than one voter with a mail-in voting package provided the individual was appointed as an election official using the powers in s. 77(6).”
Despite the approval and the ballots being sent to the facility, Elections BC’s response indicates a procedural lapse. “However, the team failed to follow up with the District Electoral Officer to confirm that an individual at [the facility] was appointed as an election official.”
This oversight in verifying the appointment of an election official at the care facility is a key point in Randhawa’s challenge.
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