Long lineups reported at Vancouver byelection polling locations

Akshay Kulkarni · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 05, 2025 5:10 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Long lineups are being reported astatine polling stations crossed Vancouver Saturday arsenic voters formed their ballots successful a two-seat council byelection.

CBC News received aggregate emails from readers who complained of hours-long hold times astatine their voting locations. 

Interest successful the byelection has been high, with a grounds turnout for beforehand voting and mail-in ballots. The vote, which volition capable 2 bare seats connected council, is seen arsenic a referendum connected Mayor Ken Sim and his ruling ABC party.

The City of Vancouver's predetermination bureau says, truthful far, Saturday's contention has had "significantly higher elector turnout" than the erstwhile 2 byelections.

Voters study much turnout

Kate Bird, 71, said she had to hold 2 hours to ballot astatine East Vancouver's Hillcrest Community Centre connected Saturday — thing she said she's ne'er experienced earlier successful decades of voting — and adjacent faced a hold portion utilizing the seniors' precedence line.

She said she saw radical turning distant from the agelong enactment to find different places to vote, oregon simply to springiness up, but galore radical doggedly stood their crushed and waited for their accidental to person their dependable heard.

"I'm truly thrilled to spot truthful galore people, and tons of young radical and tons of radical lasting determination with kids, you know, getting retired for a byelection," she said.

"I deliberation it's precise breathtaking that truthful galore radical are retired voting today. All ages, each ethnicities, everything. It's great."

Alan Zisman, who turned retired to ballot astatine Strathcona Community Centre, said determination seemed to beryllium much involvement successful Saturday's ballot than different byelections.

"I'm amazed astatine the fig of radical who are coming out, frankly," helium said. "It seems similar a absorption to the existent politician and council, though the results volition amusement whether I'm close oregon not."

In a connection Saturday afternoon, a metropolis spokesperson said the metropolis had mobilized 45 much unit members for Saturday's ballot than initially planned, and deployed further tabulators implicit the people of the time to enactment the busiest voting locations.

They said a precedence entree enactment was disposable for seniors, voters with disabilities, large radical and radical with young children.

"Election officials are actively monitoring the lines and encouraging eligible voters to usage this service," the spokesperson said. "In addition, curbside voting is disposable for those incapable to participate the polling station."

They added that the predetermination bureau is "heartened" to spot higher turnout than successful erstwhile years.

The past byelection successful the metropolis was held successful 2017, erstwhile lone astir 11 per cent of voters came out. The NPA's Hector Bremner was elected with 13,372 votes.

The City of Vancouver says that successful 2 days of beforehand voting for Saturday's byelection, 7,671 votes were formed portion 6,400 mail-in ballots had been requested.

Ballots formed successful beforehand voting were an 84 per cent summation implicit 2017.

Voters tin ticker unrecorded results connected Saturday nighttime aft 8 p.m. by visiting vancouver.ca/vote.