The fate of a five-vote win for a young NDP candidate over a Liberal cabinet minister in last week's provincial election is now in the hands of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Bruce Chaulk, the province's chief electoral officer, submitted an application for an official judicial recount of the votes in the district of Labrador West on Wednesday, according to a release by Elections NL.

On election night May 16, the NDP's Jordan Brown finished five votes ahead of the incumbent Liberal Graham Letto, with a count of 1,366 to 1,361.

Chief Electoral Officer Bruce Chaulk submitted an application for a judicial recount on Wednesday. (CBC)

Any margin fewer than 10 votes triggers an automatic recount of the ballots.

Brown's narrow victory made it through an official addition of the votes on Sunday.

In an official addition of votes, ballots are not recounted. Instead, officials make sure the numbers reported on paper line up with the numbers called in after votes are tallied at each polling station.

Chaulk told CBC News this is the first time in his career that he's had to request a judicial recount.

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