Surrey South byelection: older voters to determine outcome, expert says

With advance voting starting Thursday in the Surrey South byelection, one expert says a particular demographic of voters is expected to have a large impact.

University of the Fraser Valley political scientist associate professor Hamish Telford says the timing of the byelection could contribute to low voter turnout.

“[This] by-election looked like it was called in a way that no one would notice,” Telford told CityNews.

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Election day is Sept. 10 for the riding, the same day the federal conservative party is announcing its new leader, something which Telford believes will draw voters’ attention away.

As a result, attendees will be mainly comprised of older, more experienced voters, he explained.

“Older people tend to vote more often than younger people,” Telford said, adding that as they often have more health concerns, the proposed hospital in the riding will be a major focus for those voters.

Surrey’s new $1.66 billion hospital project is proposed to be in the Cloverdale neighbourhood, near Kwantlen Polytechnic University. In May, the province announced the hospital will not be equipped with a maternity ward, despite a rapidly expanding population.

“Surrey is a fast-growing city and needs more services. It needs more schools, and it needs more hospitals, it needs more medical centers,” he said.