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Part One: Introduction

Part Three: Living
in Vancouver

Part Four: City
Government and
Public Participation

Civic Elections and Voting

Elections are held every three years on the third Saturday in November. In advance of election day, the City Clerk’s, office sends city residents information about who is running for election and about how they can vote. The City of Vancouver opens an Elections Office several months before an election.

Who can vote

You can vote in a municipal election in Vancouver if you:

• are a Canadian citizen
• are 18 years or older on voting day
• have lived in BC for six months before voting day
• and have lived in Vancouver for 30 days before voting day.

All Vancouver residents who meet the above requirements can vote. It does not matter where you live in Vancouver or whether you rent or own your home. If you own property in Vancouver but live somewhere else in BC, you can still vote in Vancouver elections.

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Voter registration

You must register to vote. The City of Vancouver uses the BC voters’ list to determine who is eligible to vote in Vancouver. This list is at the voting place on election day. Your name will be crossed off the list when you vote to show that you have completed voting for this election.

If you are not on the BC voters’ list, you can still get on the Vancouver list. You must show two pieces of identification. One must have your signature; for example, it can be a credit card, passport, or BC identification card. The other must have your address; for example, it can be a driver’s licence, car insurance certificate, a hydro bill or a credit card bill. You can register with these two pieces of identification before the election or on the day of the election at the voting place.

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How to vote

You can vote at any time between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on the day of the election at the voting place for your neighbourhood. You will be provided with information, advertisements, etc. about where to vote. You can also call the City’s Elections Office at 604-873-7681 to inquire about voting locations.

At the voting place you will be asked to show your voter registration or two pieces of identification. You will be given a ballot with the candidates’ names and directed to a booth where you will choose who you want to vote for. You can ask for help to get to the voting place, to read the names and to fill in the ballots. Call the City Clerk’s Elections Office for more information.

If you know you will not be able to vote on the day of the election, you can ask to vote before that day at certain designated advance polls. Call the Election Office for more information. If you can’t get to any voting place because you are in hospital, the Elections Office can provide assistance.

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Civic Participation
and Involvement

Comments or questions? Send us e-mail at baldwin.wong@vancouver.ca.

© 2002, City of Vancouver, Community Services, Social Planning
Last Modified: Thursday, January 31, 2002