Vancouver sets byelection record for advance, mail-in voting

CBC

02-04-2025

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The City of Vancouver says in two days of advance voting for the April 5 byelection, 7,671 votes were cast while 6,400 mail-in ballots had been requested.
"Advance voting opportunities in the Vancouver byelection have shattered previous records so far," said a statement from Natti Schmid, the city's elections communications and outreach manager.
Vancouver announced details of the byelection in late January after coun. Adriane Carr (Green Party of Vancouver) resigned. Coun. Christine Boyle (OneCity) vacated her seat in the fall after being elected to the provincial legislature.
The byelection comes about 2.5 years into the current council's four-year mandate and is seen as a measure of resident satisfaction with the ruling ABC Vancouver party's direction over public safety, fiscal responsibility and development and density.
The city held advance voting at a single location — city hall — on March 26 and April 1.
On the first day of advance voting, voters cast 2,876 ballots, and on the second day, voters cast 4,795 ballots, the city said.
It said both days "significantly" surpassed the previous record of approximately 2,500 ballots cast at a single voting location in any election.
"After the first two days of advance voting, Vancouver voters have cast 7,671 ballots total, an 84 per cent increase over the two advance voting days in 2017," said the statement from Schmid.
WATCH | City hall watcher explains the importance of Vancouver's byelection:
April 1 last day of advance polling in Vancouver byelection
24 hours ago
Duration 6:42
Mail-in ballots
The city said it has also had a significant response for mail-in ballots, which it expanded to all eligible voters for this byelection.
The deadline to receive a mail-in ballot has passed, but since March 18, 6,400 were requested compared to 647 in 2017, when vote by mail was limited to individuals meeting specific criteria.
For comparison, during the 2022 general election, 7,235 vote-by-mail packages were returned, representing 1.5 per cent of the vote, said city staff in January.
On April 5, general voting day, there will be 25 voting locations across the city open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for eligible voters to cast ballots.
Candidates contesting the race have said they are hoping for a greater turnout than in 2017, when only about 11 per cent of voters elected the NPA's Hector Bremner. He amassed 13,372 votes.
City staff said, historically, byelections in Vancouver have seen low voter turnout, but voting so far in 2025 has exceeded expectations.
"The strong participation in this byelection so far is a powerful testament to Vancouverites' commitment to shaping our community's future," said Schmid.
In the City of Vancouver's 138-year history, only 17 byelections have been held, according to the city website.
There are 13 candidates in the two-seat race and they have been randomly selected to appear on the ballot as follows: