The System
You can find the info below that Get Your Vote On had for the last Municipal Elections in BC held all over the province on Nov. 19th, 2011. Stay tuned for the the upcoming Provincial and Federal Elections in your local constituencies!
In British Columbia municipal elections are held every three years. Most municipalities have political parties running candidates or independents. Sometimes slates will run or coalitions will form between different parties or independents. Municipalities can have a “ward” system or an “at large” system. In the Ward System, the municipality is split up into separate areas (a ward) and one or more Councillors is elected to represent their ward. In the At Large System, elected officials represent the entire municipality.
Vancouver
Vancouver operates under with the At Large System, and we elect:
- one Mayor and ten Councillors to the City Council
- seven Park Commissioners to the Board of Parks and Recreation (aka Parks Board)
- nine School Trustees to the School Board.
Your Ballot
Your ballot on election day is pretty big when you’re voting for 27 people! In the 2011 municipal elections there are 94 candidates – eek! It’s okay – the ballots are organized so you can find and vote for candidates easily.
On the FRONT SIDE, there will be an alphabetical list of candidates and their party’s name where applicable.
On the BACK SIDE, there will be a series of questions about borrowing money for the Capital Plan – our chance to have a say in whether the City can borrow money for major infrastructure projects over the next 3 years. There will be a list of projects and their cost. You can check out the Capital Plan ahead of time here!
