The BC Liberals were routed in a mock student vote program that propelled John Horgan’s BC NDP into government and delivered nearly a third of the vote to the BC Greens.
Upwards of 85,000 students from more than 700 elementary and high schools across all of B.C.’s 87 electoral districts participated in the simulated vote. The vote was organized by the non-partisan group CIVIX in partnership with Elections BC.
Students spent time learning about government, the election process, and researched the parties and platforms before debating among themselves. In the end, participating students cast ballots for their local candidates for MLA.
The student vote gave the BC NDP a majority government with 59 out of 87 ridings, or 40% of the popular vote.
Sonia Furstenau and her BC Greens, meanwhile, were handed the position of official opposition after winning 16 seats and 28% of the vote.
Andrew Wilkinson and the BC Liberals, on the other hand, took 12 seats and 25% of the vote.
The BC Conservative Leader Trevor Bolin picked up a single seat for his party in his riding of Peace River North, while the Christian Heritage Party’s Rod Taylor won his seat of Stikine.
In the Tri-Cities, all four BC NDP candidates took their ridings: Fin Donnelly with 43% of the vote in Coquitlam-Burke Mountain; Selina Robinson also with 43% of the vote in Coquitlam-Maillardville; Mike Farnworth with over 45% of the vote in Port Coquitlam; and Rick Glumac with 44% of the vote in Port Moody-Coquitlam.
Here are the full results: