Former mayor hopes for higher turnout as Kamloopsians flock to vote in advance polls

“Getting a high turnout for the advance polls, I think, speaks well for a high turnout overall,” Lake said. “I was looking back at 2005 when I ran for mayor and our turnout then was about 45 per cent, so significantly higher than what we saw four years ago here.”

“I’m not sure we’ll get that high but I think we’ll get over the 40 per cent mark this year – at least, I certainly hope we will.”

According to CivicInfo BC, voter turnout in Kamloops was around 30.2 per cent in 2008, 31.9 per cent in 2011, 34.9 per cent in 2014, and 30.6 per cent in 2018. CivicInfoBC lists the 2022 voter turnout as 30.4 per cent, but official results from the city estimate the turnout at 29 per cent.

Lake said he’s expecting Kamloops residents to be more engaged that in elections past, given the controversy that’s plagued the current mayor and council over the last four years.

“There’s quite a lot of debate about returning to what people would call normal business at city hall, so I think that’ll make the turnout quite high,” Lake said.

“When we went to vote in the advance polls, there were a lot of people who were coming out and I think that has continued. I think that means we’ll have a better turnout that we did four years ago.”

There are 51 candidates for local office in Kamloops – six for mayor, 29 for councillor and 16 for Area 1 of the Kamloops-Thompson School District – and every single incumbent in Kamloops is seeking re-election.

Voters will be electing one mayor, eight councillors and five school trustees, though people don’t have to mark 14 names on their ballot. People can mark as few as one name on their ballot and those votes will be counted.

“We encourage everyone to exercise their right to vote,” Kamloops Chief Election Officer Alisha Beday previously told CFJC Today. “We always recommend you choose the individuals you feel best represent your interests. If you don’t choose all eight [or all five], that is okay, too.”

Municipal election day is Saturday, Oct. 17, and there will be 16 polling stations across Kamloops. As with advance polls, ballots on election day can be cast between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.

CFJC Today will bring you live election results that evening once the polls close.

For more information about voting requirements in Kamloops, go here. People looking for information on where and how to vote in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District or in other Kamloops-area municipalities can contact their local municipal office.

All of CFJC’s coverage of the upcoming municipal election can be found here.

by Victor Kaisar

Former mayor hopes for higher turnout as Kamloopsians flock to vote in advance polls

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