Exercise your right to vote in the Vancouver by-election
The Vancouver by-election is coming up on Saturday, April 5, 2025. You can vote by mail or in-person on advance voting days and election day. Find a Vancouver by-election voting location near you on the City of Vancouver infosite.
The political landscape makes me nervous. More and more, alt right movements are growing, getting bolder, and taking up power in government. The Vancouver mayor and the centre-right party he represents are aligning their actions closer and closer to policies we’re seeing from alt right.
When I think about how to combat this movement, I often feel varying levels of overwhelm, isolation, duty, and hope. It’s a pendulum and the more I stay on the side of overwhelm and isolation, the more I feel stuck and insignificant. If I lean towards duty and hope, I can see that our collective actions make a difference.
One of the easiest actions, in my opinion, is to get out vote at every available opportunity. One such opportunity is coming up next month in the Vancouver by-election.
Women Transforming Cities (WTC) has been working hard to spread the word about this upcoming by-election. They recently published a post about which candidates are committed to equity, and all except the two ABC Vancouver candidates pledged to support to all eight categories.
Here are a couple other key insights I learned from WTC.
This Vancouver by-election matters
The ABC Vancouver party currently holds a majority on city council and the two councillors who stepped down were from opposition parties. With Mayor Ken Sim as their lead, ABC Vancouver councillors have touted initiatives such as freezing construction of supportive housing in the Downtown Eastside, abolishing the park board, and following through on promises for an increased police force while abandoning those for increased mental health nurses.
The by-election results will send important signals about whether Vancouver is happy with the current direction of council, or whether we want a change.
The Vancouver by-election will play an important role in re-instating councillors that support equity. And, while the ABC party will continue to have a majority, the by-election will send a message to funders on what parties Vancouverites will support in the upcoming general election.
Pay attention to candidates that show up for constituents
When you vote in this upcoming Vancouver by-election, pay attention to which candidates are showing up for constituents. Two councillors—you can probably guess from which party—have ignored community forums. This sends the message that they don’t care to hear from Vancouverites, especially those who may disagree with their platform.
From whatever party and candidate you support, please look for ones who care to hear from you and your Vancouver neighbours.
