Surrey mayor warns overlapping elections may cause voter confusion

Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke says the provincial snap election called by the NDP could make municipal elections across British Columbia more difficult, with voting scheduled one week after provincewide municipal elections. Premier David Eby called the election on Sept. 22, setting provincial voting for Oct. 24; municipal elections are set for Oct. 17.

Locke said voters could be confused by overlapping dates, advance-voting days and polling-station locations. She also cited similar names used by a city Conservative slate and the B.C. Conservative party, saying voters may not know whom to look for on the ballot. She declined to speculate about why Eby called the election now.

The mayor said she is concerned voter fatigue could further reduce turnout in local elections. Surrey recorded turnout of 31.8 per cent in 2022, while the provincewide rate was 29.2 per cent. She said municipal candidates will need to work harder to encourage voting.

Locke also worries voters may go to a polling station intending to cast a municipal ballot, find a provincial-election polling station instead and miss the city election. Municipal advance voting begins Oct. 7, 10 days before the Oct. 17 election day. Provincial advance voting begins Oct. 16, eight days before the Oct. 24 election day and one day before municipal polls close. She urged residents to vote in the local elections on Oct. 17 and to pay close attention to voting dates and locations.