ST. JOHN’S — A provincial Liberal cabinet minister in Newfoundland and Labrador will step down after a court challenge of the province’s 2021 election unearthed voting irregularities in his district.

John Abbott told reporters that the case revealed enough voting problems in the St. John’s East-Quidi Vidi district that a judge may have overturned the results.

He says rather than proceed with a costly trial that could end with a judge asking him to vacate his seat, he’ll do it himself this summer.

The office of the chief electoral officer in the province also issued a news release acknowledging there were errors in the administration of some ballots in the 2021 vote.

The 2021 provincial election in Newfoundland and Labrador was upended by a COVID-19 outbreak, prompting election officials to cancel all in-person voting and shift to mail-in ballots.

One voter in Abbott’s district says he never received a ballot and he launched a lawsuit with former NDP leader Alison Coffin in 2021, alleging flaws in the chaotic election denied him his right to vote.

The voter told reporters it felt good to see the provincial elections authority acknowledge there were problems, but he says the province needs a better system than the courts to ensure voters’ rights are protected.

The Liberals won a slim majority in the 2021 provincial election with a voter turnout of 51 per cent.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2025.

The Canadian Press