Political scientists say high voter turnout indicative of political change...
Several B.C. cities shattered advance polling records, preliminary final election results from major municipalities confirm that more people turned out on Saturday than in the municipal elections four years ago.
Experts say high voter turnout often signals dissatisfaction with the status quo, and indeed, many races brought leadership changes.
Vancouver saw 43 per cent of eligible voters cast ballots, up from 36.3 per cent in 2022, matching its 2014 peak and marking the highest turnout since 2002.
Richmond’s turnout jumped to 40.6 per cent from 24.5 per cent, Delta rose to 43.2 per cent from 29.9 per cent.
Burnaby set a new record with 29.92 per cent compared to 19.7 per cent, and Saanich reached 42.7 per cent from 31.2 per cent.
Other municipalities with increases included Surrey, Langley, Abbotsford, Coquitlam, Prince George, Fort St. John, Fort Nelson, Kelowna, Kamloops, Victoria, and Nanaimo.
A UBC political scientist noted that high turnout reflects a belief that voting can bring change.
Andy Yan, director of SFU’s city program, partially credited the surge to increased civic engagement.
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