Majorities also support establishing tougher guidelines for residents who want to become candidates for public office.
Vancouver, BC [June 21, 2022] – More voters in the City of Vancouver are in favour of changing the way they elect their councillors, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative sample, 58% of likely voters in the City of Vancouver (+6 since a similar Research Co. poll conducted in November 2020) would move to a “ward system” (where councillors can be elected in specific constituencies) and abandon the currently used “at-large system” (where voters select 10 councillors).
Support for the implementation of a “ward system” in Vancouver is high among likely voters who reside in the East Side (57%), the West Side (58%) and Downtown (60%).
Majorities of voters who cast ballots for Kennedy Stewart (66%), Ken Sim (63%) or Shauna Sylvester (56%) in the 2018 Vancouver mayoral election are in favour of a “ward system.”
In order to run for office in the City of Vancouver, candidates are currently required to present the signatures of 25 nominators. More than three-in-five likely voters (62%, +2) believe this number should be raised to 100 signatures in future elections.
“Voters of all ages believe it is time to raise the bar for aspiring municipal politicians in Vancouver,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “Majorities of likely voters aged 18-to-34 (60%), aged 35-to-54 (62%) and aged 55 and over (65%) believe candidates must secure at least 100 signatures if they want their name to appear on the ballot.”
In addition, candidates who wish to run for office in the City of Vancouver are currently required to pay a $100 deposit, which is refunded after the election. More than half of likely voters (54%, -1) think this number should be raised to $500 in future elections.
Methodology: Results are based on an online study conducted from June 7 to June 9, 2022, among 400 municipal likely voters in the City of Vancouver. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in the City of Vancouver. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 4.9 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.
Find our data tables here and download the press release here.
For more information on this poll, please contact:
Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778.929.0490 [e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca