Decision 2004: At-large or Wards?

Vancouver City Council decided to hold a plebiscite on whether Vancouver should switch from the at-large system for electing City Councillors to a ward system.

The plebiscite took place on October 16, 2004 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Advance voting took place October 6 & 12.

Why we had this vote

Vancouver City Council created the Vancouver Electoral Reform Commission in 2003 to re-examine what it feels is an important issue, and to find ways to improve civic democracy. Thomas Berger, a former B.C. Supreme Court judge and head of several public inquiries, was appointed as Commissioner.

During the first six months of 2004, the Commission held 17 public forums in neighbourhoods all around Vancouver to hear from citizens about their views on whether we should consider a change from the at-large voting system to a ward system, or look at other alternatives. The Commission also provided a questionnaire asking for public opinion on the issue. This was available in print and online. The Commission also received many written submissions.

Based on the feedback and discussions, Commissioner Berger recommended in his report to Council that the City should let citizens have a say and hold an October 16 vote on whether we should change from the at-large system to a ward system, and increase the number of Councillors from 10 to 14. City Council would then consider the results of the vote and decide whether or not to change the system.

Comparing Systems

What would keeping the at-large system mean?
• Vancouver City Council would be made up of the Mayor and 10 City Councillors
• Voters choose 10 Councillors from the list of candidates on the ballot.

What would changing to a ward system mean?
• Vancouver City Council would be made up of the Mayor and 14 City Councillors
• Voters choose one Councillor for their ward (the city is divided into 14 wards, or voting neighbourhoods, as outlined in the map showing proposed boundaries).

What stays the same with either system?
• The Mayor is elected at large.
• The Park Board and School board are elected at large.
• All Councillors will vote on all matters put before Council.
• Civic elections are held every three years.

• Read the ballot question translated into Chinese, French, Spanish, Punjabi and Vietnamese (253 KB, PDF)

Background

To learn more about this issue:

• City of Vancouver educational insert, available in:
  • English (802 KB, PDF)
  • Chinese (1.7 MB, PDF)
  • Punjabi (2.5 MB, PDF)
  • Spanish (822 KB, PDF)
  • Vietnamese (2.7 MB, PDF)
• City of Vancouver Pick One voting process brochure (1.3 MB, PDF)
• City of Vancouver promotional poster (594 KB, PDF)
• Read the June 25, 2004 report that was approved by Council (including minutes of the decision)
• Download the report written by Electoral Reform Commissioner Thomas Berger - June 2004 (1.2 MB, PDF)
• View the Election Systems and Municipal Government report - June 1996
• Links to the Yes and No sides
• Public events and debates

To see proposed ward boundaries for your area, use the ward boundary search tool.

News releases

• Official results of Decision 2004: At-large or Wards plebiscite (Oct. 20, 2004)
• Unofficial results of Decision 2004: At-large or Wards plebiscite (Oct. 16, 2004)
• Polls open at 8 a.m. for October 16 plebiscite on at-large vs. wards system (Oct. 14, 2004)
• Media guidelines for Decision 2004: At-large or Wards Plebiscite (Oct. 4, 2004)
• Voting information available on City website (Sept. 30, 2004)
• Advance voting for Decision 2004: At-large or Wards Plebiscite (Sept. 29, 2004)

City Ads

TV

Decision 2004 PSA (15 second version, 1.9 MB) Decision 2004 PSA (30 second version, 3.8 MB) Windows Media Player version 9 or later is required to view these videos. Download here.

Radio

• 30-second radio spot (706 KB, MP3)

Print

• Notice of Voting (176 KB, PDF)
• Special Voting Opportunities (73 KB, PDF)
• Volunteer Scrutineers (177 KB, PDF)
• Questions and Answers (97 KB, PDF)

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CBC Public Service Announcements

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Who can vote?

You can take part in the vote if you:

• are a Canadian citizen
• are 18 years of age or older on general voting day (October 16)
• have lived in B.C. for at least six months on the day of voting
• have lived in Vancouver for at least 30 days on the day of voting
• are not disqualified by law from voting.

All Vancouver residents who meet these requirements can vote. It does not matter whether you rent or own your home.

As the University Endowment Lands (UEL) are outside the City of Vancouver boundaries, UEL residents are NOT eligible to vote in the plebiscite.

Landed immigrants who are not yet Canadian citizens are not permitted to vote.

Non-resident property electors

If you own property in Vancouver but live somewhere else in BC, you can also participate in this vote. This is called being a "non-resident property elector." As such, you can vote, as long as you:

• are a Canadian citizen
• are 18 years of age or older on general voting day (October 16)
• have lived in B.C. for at least six months on the day of voting
• have owned real estate in Vancouver, registered in your name, for at least 30 days on the day of voting
• are not disqualified by law from voting.

NOTE:

• You must obtain a certificate from the Election Office in order to vote as a non-resident property elector.
• Non-resident property electors can vote only once, regardless of the number of properties they own. If there is more than one registered owner of a property, only one of those individuals may, with the written consent of the majority of the other owners, register as a non-resident property elector.
• Non-resident owners of businesses with owned or leased real estate in the business name are NOT eligible to vote.
• If you have questions about registering and voting as a "non-resident property elector," contact the Vancouver Election Office at 604-873-7681.

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Election Office

If you have any questions about the plebiscite, call the Vancouver Election Office at 604-873-7681 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday-Friday. For answers to frequently asked questions about the voting process, call our Infoline at 604-873-7688. (You must have a touch-tone phone to use this line.)

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The voting process

In Vancouver, the rules that govern civic elections are contained in the Vancouver Charter (Parts I and II).

The voters list used in the last civic election will NOT be used for this vote. Registration will be at the time of voting only, and will only be for this vote. Registration for the vote will not affect your status on the voters list used for municipal or provincial elections.

Register at the voting location

Everyone must register to take part in the plebiscite. Registration will be completed at the voting place, with your signature and an official witness signature.

However, you can start the process beforehand. Registration forms are in a brochure that was sent to every Vancouver household, as well as all community centres and libraries, in late September. Or you can download and print this form:

• Voter Registration for October 16, 2004 Plebiscite: At-large or Wards? (487 KB, PDF)

Complete the form in advance, but DON'T sign it. Bring it with you to the voting place. This will speed up the process at the voting place.

Registration forms will also be available at all of the 44 voting locations.

These translations of the Voter Registration Form are provided for convenience and demonstration purposes. However, only the English-language Voter Registration Form will be accepted at the voting place.

• Chinese (171 KB, PDF)
• Punjabi (698 KB, PDF)
• Spanish (438 KB, PDF)
• Vietnamese (691 KB, PDF)

Non-resident property electors must bring a certificate (previously received) from the Chief Election Officer to vote. Call 604-873-7681 for more details.

ID Required
When registering at the time of voting, you will need to show two pieces of identification containing your name and address. One must have your signature.

Here are the kinds of ID that are acceptable:

• B.C. Driver's Licence
• B.C. ID card from Motor Vehicle Branch
• ICBC Owner's Certificate of Insurance and Vehicle Licence
• B.C. Care Card
• Ministry of Social Development and Economic Security Request for Continued Assistance Form SDES8
• Social Insurance card
• Citizenship Card
• property tax notice
• credit card or debit card
• utility bill for electricity, natural gas, water, telephone or cable services
• welfare cheque stub showing name and ID number
• statutory declaration or sworn affidavit of identity (from a notary public, lawyer, or commissioner for taking oaths).

If you have any questions, contact the Vancouver Election Office at 604-873-7681.

2. Go to your voting place on voting day

You can vote any time between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on October 16, 2004 at any one of the 44 voting locations. (You can vote only once. It is a serious offence to vote more than once.)

• Download the voting places map (498 KB, PDF)
• Or use the voting place search tool to find the three voting locations closest to your home.

At the voting place:

• After you have registered at the voting place, you will be given a ballot.
• Go to the voting booth and mark your choice. Follow the instructions on the ballot.
• Take your completed ballot to the voting machine.
• Either you or a City election staff person will feed your ballot into the voting machine.

The voting booth.	The voting machine.	Ballot being fed into the voting machine.

You're done! That's all there is to it.

Do you need help voting?

If you need help to vote (for example, to read the text, or to fill in the ballot), ask for the Presiding Election Official (PEO) in charge at the voting place. All Election staff must take an oath to preserve the secrecy of the ballot, so they can help voters with a physical disability or who have difficulty reading or writing. Or, you can bring someone you know to the voting place to help you. This person will have to take an oath of secrecy that will be given by the official.

If you are unable to enter the voting place, you may ask to vote near the voting place.

English as a second language (ESL)

Many voting places have people with fluency in languages other than English who can help you. Ask at the voting place. You may also bring your own interpreter, who would be required to take an oath of secrecy given by the PEO.

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Other ways to vote

Advance Voting
If you know you will not be able to vote on October 16, you may qualify to vote before then. To vote in advance you must sign a declaration stating your reasons. Here are some of the reasons for advance voting:

• you expect to be out of town on October 16
• you are unable to vote on October 16 due to reasons of conscience or circumstances beyond your control
• physical disability or impaired mobility
• you will be working on the election on October 16.

Advance voting opportunities were held on October 6 and 12 (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.) at City Hall.

Voting by Mail
If you are unable to go to a voting place because you are sick or disabled, you may ask to vote by mail. If you wish to vote by mail, you must contact the Vancouver Election Office at 604-873-7681 to apply to get a mail ballot.

Mail ballots were sent out after October 4, and must be returned to the Vancouver Election Office no later than 8 p.m. on October 16 to be counted.

Special Voting
Some people will be able to vote in medical facilities. To find out if you can vote this way, or for details on special voting opportunities, call the Vancouver Election Office at 604-873-7681.

If you are going to be away from Vancouver between October 6 and 16, unfortunately you will NOT be able to vote on this question. There is no provision in the Vancouver Charter for absentee voting.

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Where do I vote?

For the vote, voters can go to any one of 44 locations spread across the city. (You can vote only once. It is a serious offence to vote more than once.)

• Download the voting places map (498 KB, PDF)
• Or use the voting place search tool to find the three voting locations closest to your home.

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Privacy and the Vote

You may request that personal information on your registration form be omitted or obscured from post-voting public inspection. See the Presiding Election Officer at the voting place to make the request.

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Working for the Vote

For this plebiscite, the City plans to select primarily from the trained pool of voting place staff who worked during the November 16, 2002 civic election and the 2003 Olympic Vote.

If you are interested in working on the 2005 civic election, submit your application in June, 2005.

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Past votes

Examples of past votes not carried out in conjunction with a general local election include:

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

© 2005, City of Vancouver
Last modified: Wednesday, May 25, 2011