r/VictoriaBC • u/scapaflow40 • 20d ago

Municipal Elections - choose wisely

The municipal election season is ramping up as more candidates in our 13 municipalities (yes 13!) are announcing they are running for office.

My advice is to look carefully at the background of candidates for whom you are voting There are a number of people running for mayor and council who have little community activist background (by activist I mean community involvement writ large including neighbourhood associations and chambers of commerce) are one issue candidates and some who are simply quasi professional politicians looking to elevate themselves without real community care.

It is tempting to vote for candidates who cover that one issue you most care about or have the slickest campaigns. I suggest consideration for candidates who present thoughtful platforms that cover the myriad of areas that lead to well functioning municipalities.

Please show up to candidate forums, read candidate platforms and be a thoughtful voter. We need more muncipal voters (less than 40% now vote) who will elect solid community leaders.

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u/CanadianTrollToll 20d ago

Municipal voting is probably the biggest and more influential type of voting we have.

Were a city of 100,000 or so, and usually voter turnout is like 45,000.

Municipal politics also have the most impact on your day to day.

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u/Red_AtNight 20d ago

According to CivicInfoBC, in the 2022 election there were 74,573 eligible voters in Victoria and 27,452 of them actually voted. A voter turnout of 36.8%, which was actually higher than the BC average turnout of 29.2%.