Press release
2026 provincial election: result of the judicial recount in the electoral division of Champlain
29 october 2026
Categories: General election, Provincial, Results and statistics
Following the judicial recount held in the electoral division of Champlain, Adriana Szalontai, candidate for the Parti conservateur du Québec, received the greatest number of votes. The recount conducted by the Court of Québec on October 22, 2026, at the Trois-Rivières courthouse shows that the margin separating her from René Branchaud, candidate for the Parti québécois, is 186 votes instead of 191 votes.
| Candidates Political affiliation |
Number of valid votes following the addition of the votes | Number of valid votes following the judicial recount | Difference, in number of votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adriana Szalontai Parti conservateur du Québec |
12,690 | 12,690 | 0 |
| René Branchaud Parti québécois |
12,499 | 12,504 | 5 |
| Marie-Eve Myrand Équipe Christine Fréchette – Coalition avenir Québec |
7,385 | 7,395 | 10 |
| Annie Pronovost Parti libéral du Québec / Quebec Liberal Party |
6,514 | 6,511 | -3 |
| Katherine Heckersbruch Québec solidaire |
2,878 | 2,906 | 28 |
| Martine Ouellet Climat Québec – Équipe Martine Ouellet |
988 | 979 | -9 |
| Lionel Bonhomet Parti nul |
222 | 221 | -1 |
| Christine Dion Démocratie directe |
154 | 151 | -3 |
| Following the addition of the votes | Following the judicial recount | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of rejected ballot papers | 671 | 675 |
Context surrounding the holding of this judicial recount
A judicial recount may be requested by any person who has reasonable grounds to believe that a statement of votes is inaccurate. René Branchaud, the Parti Québécois candidate, noted that some polling teams made mathematical errors on the statement of votes. While some of these errors could be resolved using other information recorded in the statement of votes, others could only be explained by conducting a recount. This is what convinced the court to agree, on October 20, to conduct a second count of the votes.
The court recounted 67 of the 191 ballot boxes in the riding—those for which irregularities had been raised. Following the recount of these 67 ballot boxes, the Parti Québécois candidate gave up his request, and the parties involved agreed to accept the results of the addition of the votes for the remaining 124 ballot boxes. The court formalized the results, and Adriana Szalontai remains the elected candidate.
History of judicial recounts in Québec
Since 2000, there have been nine judicial recounts following provincial elections; there were none in the 2022 provincial election, and there were two in this year’s election.
Few judicial recounts have changed the outcome of an election in an electoral division. In 2026, such a recount overturned the result in the electoral division of Vachon and in 2018, it overturned the result in the electoral division of Gaspé. In the latter case, the situation was attributable to a transcription error of the results on the statement of votes at a single polling station. Prior to 2018, the last judicial recounts that changed the outcome of an election occurred in the electoral divisions of Hull and Papineau during the 1976 general election.
Two judicial recounts resulted in ties: in 2003, in the electoral division of Champlain, and in 1994, in the electoral division of Saint-Jean. This result led to a new election.
Reasons that may justify holding judicial recounts
The Election Act provides for three scenarios that can lead to a judicial recount following a provincial election.
- It takes place automatically if the first-place candidates have the same number of votes at the end of the addition of the votes.
- The second-place candidate may request one if the difference in votes separating them from first place is less than one thousandth of the votes cast.
- Any person may apply if they have reasonable grounds to believe that a deputy returning officer or the returning officer has unlawfully counted or rejected ballot papers or drawn up an incorrect statement of votes.
About Élections Québec
Élections Québec is a non-partisan and independent institution striving to ensure the integrity, transparency, and reliability of elections and to contribute to the vitality of the Québec democracy.
In practical terms, the institution organizes provincial elections in cooperation with the returning officers of Québec’s 127 electoral divisions. In addition, it designs and offers several democracy education programs; it ensures compliance with the rules on political financing; and it acts as public prosecutor to ensure compliance with Québec’s electoral laws.
