Vancouver votes: results delayed in Saturday’s city council byelection

Vancouverites headed to the polls for a midterm byelection to select two new city councillors Saturday, and many voters reported hours-long lines.

Preliminary results were expected soon after the official poll closure time of 8 p.m., but Natti Schmid, elections communications and outreach manager for the City of Vancouver, told CityNews around 10 p.m. that the results would be delayed.

“Several locations are still open, as anyone who was in line at 8 p.m. is still able to vote,” Schmid said.

“Because of this, results are likely to come in later than originally anticipated.”

As of around 11 p.m., some results started to trickle in, with eight of 27 voting stations reporting. These results showed Lucy Maloney of the OneCity party and Sean Orr of COPE as early front-runners, but this could change as more stations report.

Listen live to 1130 NewsRadio Vancouver for the most up-to-date information.

There were 25 voting places located at City Hall and in community centres around Vancouver.

The city says the locations are not assigned, meaning residents could cast a ballot wherever most convenient.

Outside City Hall Saturday morning, 1130 NewsRadio spoke to voters to hear their concerns and ask what changes they would like to see in the city.

“Homelessness has been a major concern in the city for my entire life, and it is really disappointing to see the way that our mayor has been handling things,” one voter said.

“The Downtown Eastside is also a big one for me, and the recent talk about cutting some of the most important bus routes is really distressing.”

Many say it’s important to turn out to vote as councillors play a large part in shaping the city’s future.

Self-described non-partisan political educator Jessica Lar-Son says byelections are easily forgotten, as shown by historically low voter turnout.

Lar-Son spends her time trying to convince more people to vote.

“I always want to encourage people to use that privilege of being able to vote, to be able to influence the people who make decisions about our day-to-day lives,” said Lar-Son.

The byelection comes as long-time Coun. Adriane Carr announced her resignation from council in January, and Coun. Christine Boyle resigned after being elected to B.C.’s legislature in October of 2024.

Stewart Prest, a political science lecturer at UBC, says the added attention may have to do with the fact that two seats are in contention.

“Perhaps there is additional frustration among voters given a number of controversial moves and attempted moves by the governing ABC [Party],” said Prest.

But he says it’s also possible that parties are increasingly using advance polling to get out their vote.

A record 7,671 advance ballots were counted over the advance-voting days, making for an incredible 84 per cent increase from Vancouver’s last byelection in 2017.

There are 13 candidates vying for the two seats. Among them are Vancouver Police Union President Ralph Kaisers and tech business leader Jaime Stein, running with ABC; environmental lawyer and transportation advocate Lucy Maloney with One City; housing advocate and blogger Sean Orr with COPE; former Coun. Colleen Hardwick and urban researcher Theodore Abbott with TEAM; and Anette Reilly with the Vancouver Green Party.

Voters must be 18 or older and a Canadian citizen, and they need to have two pieces of ID.

For results of the byelection, listen live to 1130 NewsRadio Vancouver or watch CityNews 24/7 live. You can also subscribe to breaking news alerts.

—With files from Michael Williams and Emma Crawford.