Election 2014

Vancouver civic election in 2014 was on Saturday, November 15.

Useful links – official

Chief Election Officer’s “2014 Municipal Election Review, presented 21-Jun-2015.
https://council.vancouver.ca/20150721/documents/a4.pdf

Official result:
https://vancouver.ca/election/2014/results.aspx

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Our top page has coverage/analysis of the election results.

https://cityhallwatch.wordpress.com/2014/11/16/vancouver-civic-election-results-2014/

We also recommend…

http://canadianveggie.wordpress.com/2014/11/16/vancouver-election-2014-initial-reaction/ (Excellent graphs and analysis)

MEDIA COVERAGE:

• www.theprovince.com Extensive post-election coverage.
• The Georgia Straight has prolific and up to date coverage of municipal election matters: www.straight.com/news/municipal-election
• The Vancouver Courier has a great list of candidates, with profiles and photos: http://www.vancourier.com/vancouver-votes/candidate-profiles. See also their election coverage page: http://www.vancourier.com/vancouver-votes/
• CKNW 980: http://www.cknw.com/civic-election-news-2014/
• Other media outlets are now in full election mode. Check their websites for election coverage.

 

 

VOTERS:

To get official voter and candidate information from the City of Vancouver, in your browser, type “Vancouver.ca/plan-your-vote/” and then click on “Vancouver Votes” and then find, “Start Planning.” Or quicker, just click here. You can choose your candidates, find voting times/locations, and download a summary.

VOTING SLATES:

Voters face a wide array of choices, with 119 candidates and 11 parties on the ballot. To help voters decide who to vote for, a number of groups and media outlets are releasing their recommended voting slates. As one example, Neighbourhoods for a Sustainable Vancouver (NSV), a registered third-party sponsor for this election, has announced what it calls a “strategic” slate (click here for details) aiming for change at City Hall, Park Board and School Board, based on these criteria:

• appeal to a broad cross-section of voters,
• avoid a single-party majority,
• have the best chance of being elected, and
• be representative of principles that NSV believes are essential to Vancouver’s future as a truly sustainable city of diverse and livable neighbourhoods.

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Note that on April 30, 2014, the B.C. Legislature did the third reading of new legislation (Bills 20 and 21), which will be  in effect for this election, with some cosmetic changes to the rules on election campaign finance. But it wasted this opportunity to reform rules about political donations. The sky is still the limit for donations, and any corporation, union, or any entity from anywhere in the world can still donate to political parties. In addition, the Province abruptly changed its stance and suddenly decided to switch to four-year terms (from three). After 2014, the next election will be in 2018. This is effectively a 33.3% increase in power for whoever wins the election. The stakes are high.

What are the key election issues? Politicians and parties try to set the agenda by choosing issues where they think they can win votes.

Official website for the Vancouver municipal election: http://vancouver.ca/your-government/2014-municipal-election.aspx

This page is about running for office:
http://vancouver.ca/your-government/run-for-office.aspx

That page includes information on how to register as a voter, get work for the election (e.g., presiding election official), and even run for office.

The following positions are to be elected for a four-year term:

• Mayor and ten Council members for Vancouver City Council
• Seven Park Board Commissioners for the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation
• Nine School Trustees for the Vancouver School Board

Voters will also vote on whether to authorize the City to borrow a specific amount of money for major projects (water pipes, sidewalks, libraries, community centres, streets, bridges, fire halls, affordable housing, city parks, vehicles, technology, and a range of social and cultural facilities).

To examine voting results from the November 2011 election, click here.

https://vancouver.ca/your-government/election-results.aspx

Below is our impression of the current problems in Vancouver. Everyone must work together to transform this “cycle of despair”  and systemic corruption in Vancouver. Stay tuned for more.

 

Governance data of Vancouver political parties: https://cityhallwatch.wordpress.com/2014/06/26/governance-data-vancouver-civic-parties/