With three weeks to go until the Lower Mainland transit referendum deadline, voter turnout in the Tri-Cities is already surpassing that in last fall's civic elections.
Port Coquitlam has seen the largest increase the three Tri-City municipalities, with 35.5% of eligible voters submitting their referendum ballots, compared to the 26% of residents who cast ballots in the municipal vote.
Coquitlam has also seen an increase. So far, 34.3% of eligible voters have mailed in ballots in the referendum, compared to only 26% who voted in the civic elections.
Port Moody is the only Tri-City municipality where plebiscite turnout as of May 6 had not surpassed the numbers from the civic election, although that will likely change before the end of the month. The city saw higher than average voter turnout last fall with 35.5%, compared to 35.2% in the current transit referendum.
The Tri-Cities is not unique in seeing higher turnout in the plebiscite.
As of Wednesday, Elections BC had received more than 600,000 ballots, or 38% of the 1.56 million packages it mailed out.
More than 550,000 ballots, or 35.3%, have now gone through Elections BC's initial screening process.
The count of screened ballots shows last November's municipal election turnout has been surpassed in all major Metro cities except Surrey and Port Moody. Most Metro cities recorded turnout in November of 25 to 32%, with Vancouver at 37.6%.
Surrey's rate of ballots returned and screened is just under 30% the worst in the region but even it isn't far behind its November election turnout rate of 31.5%.
Anyone who hasn't received a ballot, or lost or misplaced theirs, has until midnight on Friday, May 15 to ask Elections BC for one by calling 1-800-661-8683 or see more info at elections.bc.ca/plebiscite.
The deadline for ballots to be received is 8 p.m. Friday, May 29 but ballots mailed in late May might not arrive in time and should instead be dropped off at an Elections BC plebiscite office. See elections.bc.ca/plebiscite/where.html for those locations.
-with files from Jeff Nagel
PLEBISCITE TURNOUT (2015)
Coquitlam: 34.3%
Port Coquitlam: 35.5%
Port Moody: 35.2
CIVIC ELECTION TURNOUT (2014):
Coquitlam: 26%
Port Coquitlam: 26%
Port Moody: 35.5%
