VancouverMETRO VANCOUVER NEWS
Richmond Votes: Municipal election turnout rises by about 15,000 in 2026
Preliminary figures show 57,771 Richmond residents voted, lifting turnout to 40 per cent from 25 per cent in 2022. Rob Howard won the mayor’s race, while Advance Richmond candidates won seats on council and the school board.
Forty per cent of eligible Richmond voters cast a ballot in Saturday’s municipal election, up from 25 per cent in 2022. Just over 35,000 people voted in 2022; this time, 57,771 Richmond residents voted, according to a preliminary figure from the city. Voters chose new mayor Rob Howard, four new city councillors and four incumbents, as well as seven school trustees.
Howard received 34.5 per cent of the mayoral vote, compared with 32.9 per cent for Alexa Loo and 19.5 per cent for Kash Heed. Fourth-place finisher Dickens Cheung received 10.3 per cent. Outside the mayoral race, the clear winner was Advance Richmond, the group that describes itself as “pink.” Its candidates Gary Law, Kevin Lai and Sheldon Starrett won council seats. School trustees Dean Billings, Danny Chang and incumbent Rod Belleza are also with the slate. Long-time trustee Debbie Tablotney and first-term trustee David Yang were not re-elected.
### Prediction markets foreshadowed Howard’s win
People bet on the Richmond mayoral race through two prediction markets, Kalshi and Polymarket, although betting on Canadian politics is illegal. On Oct. 16, one day before the final voting day, Polymarket showed Howard leading with 47 per cent, followed by Heed at 30 per cent and Loo at 24 per cent. Betting on sports, elections and politics is banned in Canada.
Howard received endorsements during the campaign from prominent figures including outgoing Mayor Malcolm Brodie and former mayor Greg Halsey-Brandt. Loo was supported by former MP Alice Wong. Howard will have to work with a council made up of four new faces and four incumbents.
RITE Richmond’s three incumbent councillors — Carol Day, Michael Wolfe and Laura Gillanders — were re-elected. Andy Hobbs of Richmond United also won re-election. The Richmond Citizens’ Association (RCA), which previously elected Harold Steves, Kelly Greene and Linda Barnes, failed to elect any candidates. Its highest-placed candidate, Milly Yee, finished 25th. RCA and RITE joined forces late in a previous campaign, but did not do so this time.