If you are not already convinced that every vote counts in an election, just ask Amy Finn or Ryan Doyle in Chatham-Kent.
And if you still need convincing, talk to the candidates they just barely beat out in Chatham-Kent's municipal election by less than a dozen votes each.
Finn, who was running for re-election in Ward 6, finished in sixth place in the ward race, securing the sixth and final seat by beating out challenger Carson Warrener by only 10 votes. Finn unofficially finished with an even 3,900 votes to Warrener's 3,890.
"I was nervous because, well, we were all great candidates... there were a whole lot of us that were just, bang-bang-bang-bang-bang... it was very nerve-wracking," said Finn. "Every vote is important -- I've always told people, if you want to be heard, get out and vote... it's the beginning, and then get involved."
Finn also joked that some people who are very close to her are trying to claim that they made the difference for her.
"I've had everybody in my family saying, 'Well, we were one of those 10 votes,' and I said, 'I got more than just 10 votes, people! But thank you for that,'" she said with a laugh. "I think they were just trying to get me to buy them breakfast."
Finn is no stranger to close votes, either. She won her Ward 6 seat in the 2018 election by just 75 votes, finishing ahead of Larry Vellinga at that time.
In Ward 2, first-time candidate Ryan Doyle finished in third place in an even closer race Monday night.
The unofficial results from the election tabulators show he beat incumbent Mary Clare Latimer by just one vote, finishing with 2,083 votes to Latimer's 2,082.
"At first, I was down a little bit, so you go through those kinds of emotions and then as it started to get closer, the more nervous I got," said Doyle. "It's the definition of every vote counts and a good reason for people to get out in future elections -- your vote does matter."
Both Finn and Doyle are hoping the close finishes will encourage more people to get out next time there is an election, too, noting the voter turnout was only 30.56 per cent this time around in Chatham-Kent.
"I don't know what happened there again... we need people getting out [to vote], whoever gets in," said Finn. "We like to know that we represent the voters as a whole and that was a low percentage again."
There were more opportunities for people to vote in Chatham-Kent this year than ever before with internet voting open from October 3 until October 16 and advance polling days on October 13, 14, and 15.
The Municipality of Chatham-Kent even added a new vote van to eliminate more barriers for people who couldn't travel or didn't want to travel to an advance polling station that was outside of their community.
The vote van made stops in Wheatley, Erieau, Bothwell, Mitchell's Bay, and two locations in Chatham during the advance polling dates.
In-person voting was also available on election day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at several locations across the municipality.
Chatham-Kent's municipal election results were finalized on Tuesday and there won't be an automatic recount, despite some very close races.
A release from the municipality Tuesday afternoon said the Municipal Elections Act only requires an automatic recount if there is a tie.
