Voting Information

Vancouver's elected officials include Vancouver City Council and two elected boards -- the Vancouver Board of Parks & Recreation, and the Vancouver School Board. City Council is made up of the Mayor and 10 Councillors. All elected officials are elected at-large for a three-year term.

In local elections, Vancouver voters choose:

• 1 Mayor
• 10 Councillors
• 7 Park Commissioners
• 9 School Trustees.

Capital Plan

Every time there is an election, there is also a vote for the City's three-year Capital Plan. In the Capital Plan, the City decides which major construction projects to do over the next three years (for example, re-build certain community centres, or extensive re-construction of water or sewer lines throughout the City). The Capital Plan questions on the ballot ask the people of Vancouver if they want the City to borrow the money for these projects. Answers to these questions help City Council make choices about the City and about how your tax dollars will be spent.

>> Read the borrowing questions

More information about the 2006-2008 Capital Plan is available online.

Key dates

• Advance voting: November 5, 9, 15 and 16 from 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. at City Hall and Dunbar, Trout Lake and West End Community Centres.
• Election day: Saturday, November 19, 2005 from 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.
• Unofficial results: Saturday, November 19, 2005 at approximately 10 p.m.
• Official results: Wednesday, November 23, 2005 by 4 p.m.

Resources

• General Voter Information
• University Endowment Lands Voter Information
• Vancouver Votes: Guide to the General Local Election
• Candidate Profiles
• Youth Outreach Team election brochure

Links to youth-oriented election sites:

• vancouveryouth.ca/getting_involved/elections
• getyourvoteon.ca/GYVO/Web/Pages/Index.aspx

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Election Office

The Vancouver Election Office is at 450 West Broadway (1st Floor), and is open to the public August 22 to November 25, 2005, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, excluding statutory holidays. If you have any questions about the election, call the Vancouver Election Office at 604-873-7681 or email voter.questions@vancouver.ca.

In Vancouver, the rules that govern municipal elections are contained in the Vancouver Charter (Parts I and II). Go to the Elections section of the Vancouver Charter.

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Who can vote?

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

• are 18 years of age or older on general voting day (November 19, 2005)
• are a Canadian citizen
• have lived in B.C. for at least six months immediately before voting day
• have lived in Vancouver for at least 30 days immediately before voting day
• are not disqualified by law from voting.

Vancouver residents who meet all these 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 B.C., you can also vote in Vancouver elections. This is called being a"non-resident property elector." As such, you can vote, as long as you:

• are 18 years of age or older on general voting day (November 19, 2005)
• are a Canadian citizen
• have lived in B.C. for at least six months immediately before voting day
• have owned real property in Vancouver, registered in your name, for at least 30 days immediately before voting day
• are not disqualified by law from voting.

Non-resident property electors who meet all these requirements can vote. However, you can vote only once within each municipality, regardless of the number of properties you own there. 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 owners, register as a non-resident property elector.

>> Non-Resident Property Electors: Frequently-Asked Questions (115 KB)

If you have any questions about registering and voting as a "non-resident property elector," contact the Vancouver Election Office at 604-873-7681 or email voter.questions@vancouver.ca.

Note that non-resident property electors who want to register at the time of voting must visit the Election Office to get a certificate before to going to the voting place.

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

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

© 2008, City of Vancouver
Last modified: Friday, May 23, 2008