POT CANDIDATE HAPPY THAT HE PLACED THIRD

ON ELECTION night Marijuana Party candidate Bob Erb and a few close friends
gathered in his Thornhill home to watch television coverage of the election
results.

"If we're third in the riding I think we've been successful," he said.

As the results came in, Erb said he secretly hoped he would get the highest
percentage of the popular vote of all the Marijuana Party candidates.

He wasn't far off.

With 787 votes, Erb claimed 6.15 per cent of the popular vote in the Skeena
riding.

The only other two pot party candidates to top that were Graeme Smecher
from Port Moody Westwood who gathered 6.36 per cent of the vote and Paul
Renaud, the Peace River North candidate who came in with 9.39 per cent of
the popular vote.

Erb ended up being one of only five Marijuana Party candidates in the 79
ridings to finish third in their ridings.

He hoped that by running people who usually do not vote would come out and
cast their ballots in Skeena.

The message got across.

Al Kent, 43, a friend of Erb's, had never voted in any election before -
provincial, federal or municipal.

Kent, who spent election night at Erb's house, said no party ever inspired
him enough to get out and vote but the Marijuana Party got him to the polls
for the first time.

He voted for Erb "for the sole purpose of legalizing marijuana."

As the results were broadcast Erb and friends eagerly tracked how well
other party candidates were faring.

The biggest surprise of the night for Erb was the strong support for Green
Party candidate, Roger Benham.

"That ....ing Roger Benham," Erb laughed each time the tally was updated.

"I thought I'd have more than the Greens and the All Nations Party
together. That's what I was hoping for," said Erb.

But those two parties combined nabbed 1142 votes while Erb had 787.

"There's no prize for being second, but in this case finishing third is a
big prize," he said.