Vancouver election officer challenges candidates over Chinese names
Posted September 16, 2026 7:32 am.
Should civic election candidates be allowed to use their English and foreign names on the ballot in Vancouver?
Five candidates from ABC Vancouver and two from OneCity are now heading to court, after Jason Twa, chief election officer for the City of Vancouver, challenged the names they put on their nomination papers, which included English and Chinese characters.
“My Chinese name is what I’ve been using for 40 years,” said ABC council candidate Lenny Zhou.
“It’s what my parents gave me when I was born, and it’s part of my identity.”
“I’ve done a lot of work with the name ‘Lau Dui Ming,’ which is the name you see on my poster, and I’ve been recognized for a lot of the work predating this election,” said ABC candidate Lorraine Lowe.
Under the Vancouver Charter, candidates can choose to have their usual names printed on the ballot instead of their legal names, but the chief election officer can challenge this if he believes the name submitted is not the candidate’s usual name.
OneCity candidate Iona Bonamis says she and the other impacted candidates are working with a lawyer.
“We are putting together all the proof to show that we use our Chinese names in our everyday lives,” Bonamis said.
The issue came up in Vancouver’s last civic election, but due to time constraints, the judge adjourned the case and candidates were able to keep their names on the ballots.
Bonamis says having only her English name could alienate non-English-speaking voters.
“Sure, a lot more people do speak English, but a lot of people don’t … and sometimes it’s just one of the barriers that prevent people from participating and wanting to go vote,” she said.
“We really need to get voters up, and civic engagement, so this is a great way to do that.”
A hearing on the challenge is scheduled for Wednesday morning.
