Waiting on Canada Post--UPDATED

(Scroll down for update) You've probably noticed the LPC Super Weekend ticker is stalled at 410/469. Actually, I think it went up one riding this morning.

I was under the impression that mail-in ballots for the 16 remaining British Columbia ridings would be counted today but I've been told that actually the B.C. ballots will be counted beginning Oct. 11, and the count is expected to take "a few days."

Not sure why the delay, if indeed there was one, my initial information could have been wrong. I did hear that some rural areas got their ballots with very little time to spare before the deadline for them to be returned, and the complicated and long ballots caused a lot of confusion.

So, if it's to give a chance for Canada Post to get all properly postmarked ballots to HQ then I'm for it. It is a bit susspensful though, and tough on those waiting to learn if they've gotten delegate spots or not.

Also still to come are one Alberta riding, seven in Manitoba, one in Nunavut, 20 in Ontario and 14 in Quebec. I don't know when they plan to do their counts.

UPDATE: Public Eye Online reports the one-week delay in the counting of ballots in B.C. is because some people appealed to the regional returning officer that they didn't recieve their ballots in time. It gets a bit complicated. But here's what I can gather.

Last Wednesday, the RRO issued a written ruling saying if you didn't get a ballot, inform her in writing by end of day that Friday and arrangements will be made to vote by phone.

On Thursday, the Michael Ignatieff campaign appealed that ruling to the National Returning Officer. On Sunday, the NRO ruled that the phone thing would be out and new ballots would be issued by mail, apperantly to everyone that didn't get one or says they didn't, not just those that resonded to the RRO's ruling to let her know by the end of day Friday.

Here's the contentious line from the NRO's ruling:

For those members whose ballot were issued to the right addresses, we will extend the delay for the postmark until October 6th, and reception at LPC(BC) by October 9th, 2006.

That would seem to indicate that everyone who actually got a ballot but didn't bother to vote can now do until this Friday, which would put 2100 more ballots into the ballot boxes that were recieved but not returned, or for which no effort was made by the voter to get one before super weekend.

That's the subject of an appeal by the Gerard Kennedy campaign filed yesterday with the permanent appeals committee. They're calling that unfair (and I agree) and are saying only the people that informed the RRO they didn't get a ballot by the deadline should have their late ballots counted.

So, now I guess we're waiting on that appeal, which Public Eye reports is supported by a number of other leadership camps.

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