Islanders will find out plebiscite results when speaker does

Islanders will find out the results of the province-wide plebiscite on electoral reform at the same time as the speaker of the P.E.I. Legislative Assembly.

Speaker Buck Watts told CBC he just wanted to make it clear, "I wasn't going to be sitting on any results for any amount of time. As soon as the information comes to me it will be simultaneously released to the public."

On Tuesday, Elections P.E.I.'s Chief Electoral Officer Gary McLeod told CBC that if all goes well with counting the ballots, the results would be presented to the speaker about an hour after the polling stations close at 7 p.m. on Nov. 7. McLeod said his office would send out a news release about an hour after the results were given to the speaker.

'Public has right to know'

Now, though, Watts said he feels he has no intention of keeping Islanders waiting.

"The public has a right to know the results of this vote. They have a right to know at the same time as I would," he said.

"I, in no way, shape or form that I had any intentions of sitting on this report or even keeping it to myself for even 10 or 15 seconds."

Watts said he's looking forward to seeing how Islanders vote in the plebiscite.

CBC P.E.I. is hosting a public forum on electoral reform on Thursday Oct. 27.

The province-wide plebiscite on how MLAs are chosen on P.E.I. will be held from Oct. 29 to Nov. 7. The ballots present five options. The results are not binding.

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