Candidates in a key Windsor-Essex riding are closer to knowing who will head to Ottawa.
Elections Canada has reported that the ballot count in the federal Windsor-Tecumseh-Lakeshore race is complete.
Volunteers have been at the Elections Canada riding office in Tecumseh since Tuesday, going through over 70,000 ballots by hand.
The decision on which of the disputed ballots should be counted, if any, is now in the hands of a judge. That process is not open to the public or the media.
Totals on election night showed Conservative Kathy Borrelli leading Liberal incumbent Irek Kusmierczyk by 233 votes. A validation by Elections Canada lowered the difference to 77 votes.
The unofficial riding results, as of validation, are as follows.
Kathy Borrelli, Conservative Party of Canada, 32,062
Irek Kusmierczyk, Liberal Party of Canada, 31,985
Alex Ilijoski, New Democratic Party of Canada, 4,241
Nick Babic, People's Party of Canada, 828
Roxanne Tellier, Green Party of Canada, 470
Helmi Charif, Centrist Party of Canada, 223
Beth St. Denis, Christian Heritage Party of Canada, 201
Kusmierczyk's campaign had asked a judge for a judicial recount after concerns were raised about some rejected ballots. Kusmierczyk campaign lawyer Jeff Hewitt argued that he saw no reason for those ballots to be thrown out.
A series of affidavits included examples of rejected ballots, which Hewitt argued should have indicated voter intent.
Eli Mogli, a lawyer representing the Borrelli campaign and the Conservative Party of Canada, had argued that the recount should be staffed fairly.
As of Thursday afternoon, the Elections Canada scorecard showed the Liberal Party with 169 seats, three shy of a majority. The Conservatives have 144 seats, the Bloc Quebecois 22, the New Democratic Party with seven, and the Green Party with one.