“This election was the worst run election in the history of the province and possibly of the country,” said the NDP’s Alison Coffin about the 2021 NL electionPublished Jun 11, 2025 • 5 minute readWhymarrh Whitby and Alison Coffin stand at the podium during a press conference Wednesday regarding admitted Elections Newfoundland and Labrador errors in the administration of some special ballots in the General Election in St. John’s East-Quidi Vidi in 2021. Photo by Keith Gosse/The Telegram /Keith Gosse/The TelegramThe last time Kyle Rees introduced Alison Coffin to a room filled with supporters, friends, family and media, he was the president of the provincial NDP and Coffin was preparing to deliver her concession speech having lost her seat in St. John’s East–Quidi Vidi to Liberal John Abbott in the 2021 provincial general election by a mere 53 votes.But following a lengthy legal battle to right the historic wrongs that plagued the pandemic-impacted 2021 general election — chief among them being errors in the administration of special ballots — Rees had the pleasure of re-introducing Coffin at the Sheraton Hotel on Wednesday afternoon, June 11, this time as her lawyer, to announce the final resolution of the proceedings before the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Court of Appeal.That’s where Coffin and the NDP contested the outcome from election night in 2021.“This election was the worst-run election in the history of the province and possibly of the country,” Coffin said.“When we were starting to build this case, it was beyond our wildest dreams that we could have such a good, clean, clear solution to this before we head into this next general election. I am certain we will head into this next general election with a new vision for how general elections should be run with a much, much stronger eye on scrutiny, on the parties, on the province and Elections Newfoundland and Labrador.”THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentFormer NDP MHA Alison Coffin speaks about errors in special ballots in the General Election in St. John’s East-Quidi Vidi, during the 2021 election and pandemic associated public health restrictions. pic.twitter.com/zPjQuhJTCv— Keith Gosse (@TelyPhotoGosse) June 11, 2025‘We have come to a solution together’The resolution was not one-sided. Elections Newfoundland and Labrador, Coffin, St. John’s voter Whymarrh Whitby and Liberal cabinet minister John Abbott agreed to resolve the legal proceedings voluntarily, with a shared commitment to democracy and impartial elections in Newfoundland and Labrador. “We have come to a solution together,” Coffin said.“Elections Newfoundland and Labrador, our tight team that we have, and the Liberal candidate John Abbott, have come together to find a solution that’s best for us, for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, and for democracy. “I couldn’t be more proud to say how happy I am to see that working together gets us better results. And I would like to see (us) working together to get better from here on.” Whymarrh Whitby and Alison Coffin stand at the podium during a press conference Wednesday regarding admitted Elections Newfoundland and Labrador errors in the administration of some special ballots in the General Election in St. John’s East-Quidi Vidi in 2021. Photo by Keith Gosse/The TelegramWhile that solution involved Abbott resigning his seat in the name of preventing a lengthy and expensive trial process, the parties remain in disagreement on whether the administrative errors directly impacted the results of the 2021 election.Article contentCoffin sympathized with Abbott, having been faced with a similar situation when she stepped down from the NDP following the results of the 2021 election, but believes this process represents a step in the right direction for democracy in Newfoundland and Labrador.“This was a win for democracy,” Coffin said enthusiastically.“This was a win for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. This was a win for all of the voters who had the right to vote, all the voters who believed in democracy and everybody who has any interest in what our government does for us. Because if we don’t get elections right, if we don’t get democracy right, then we don’t get government right and we do not have a proper province.”Read More What you need to know about John Abbott stepping down and resolution of the disputed St. John’s East-Quidi Vidi election results from 2021 Newfoundland and Labrador NDP leader wants provincial election results thrown out and a new vote held Dates set for NDP challenge of fairness of Newfoundland and Labrador election Coffin ready to fight ‘enormous’ Newfoundland and Labrador election mistakes ‘Everyone has the right to vote’Whymarrh Whitby became the face of the 2021 provincial general election when his story about how he was denied the opportunity to vote made headlines across the province. Article contentWhitby was vindicated on Wednesday, as all parties confirmed in their joint statement that he had inadvertently been disenfranchised and ought to have had the opportunity to vote in his district. As he approached the podium with a smile on his face, Whitby explained that he had two personal goals when choosing to start down the slippery slope of litigation alongside Coffin in 2021: he wanted Elections Newfoundland and Labrador to confirm that he was denied the opportunity to vote and to acknowledge there were irregularities in the application of special ballots. Lawyer Kyle Rees(right) stands at the podium during a press conference Wednesday regarding admitted Elections Newfoundland and Labrador errors in the administration of some special ballots in the General Election in St. John’s East-Quidi Vidi in 2021. At left is Whymarrh Whitby. Photo by Keith Gosse/The TelegramWhile he feels the resolution effectively checks those boxes, he admits that his present-day reality has been coloured by the drawn-out legal process. He still feels strongly that there needs to be a more efficient way to find a resolution in these situations moving forward. Article content“Everyone has the right to vote,” Whitby said bluntly.“That’s it. I experienced the denial of that right very acutely… That should be something that we don’t take for granted. “There should be a process for vindicating that right when it’s violated. Four years on, I’ve learned that this process is not efficient. I think, looking forward, there’s no neutral course… We need to have an efficient way to vindicate these rights… or we allow these rights to be trampled on. Hopefully, that’s not the path that we take.” ‘We can always, always get better’When confronted with reports that Abbott will not be running in the 2025 general election this fall, Coffin says she will need more time to consider her next steps before making a decision on whether she’ll be returning to provincial politics. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do next,” she said.Article content“I certainly know that I’ve been given a pretty big springboard. I think I’m going to have some big conversations with a lot of people, and I think that we have opened up a new era in Newfoundland and Labrador… Maybe I’d like to have a moment to consider my options and talk to the people who are going to be affected by this before I can make any decisions. I do recognize the opportunity that has been presented to me.” Former NDP MHA Alison Coffin looks on during a press conference Wednesday regarding admitted Elections Newfoundland and Labrador errors in the administration of some special ballots in the General Election in St. John’s East-Quidi Vidi in 2021. Photo by Keith Gosse/The TelegramCoffin is confident that Elections Newfoundland and Labrador has learned some valuable lessons from having gone through this process, but believes there’s always more learning to be done.“What we have resolved is St. John’s East–Quidi Vidi. I certainly think that there have been other issues that perhaps could be addressed as we continue to improve our democracy,” she said. “I think working with Elections Newfoundland and Labrador, we can improve our democratic process as we continue forward. Certainly, our case was not limited to everything. I think that we can always, always get better.” Article content
This was a win for democracy: Alison Coffin finally celebrates resolution to 2021 NL election battle
