Get ready to mark those ballots Squamites.
The provincial election is scheduled for May 9. As of yet, only BC Liberal incumbent MLA Jordan Sturdy has thrown his hat back in the ring for another shot at representing the West Vancouver-Sea to Sky riding.
Spokespeople for both the BC Green Party and the BC NDP told The Squamish Chief candidates will soon be nominated to run to represent their party.
Fred Bantados, of the citizen political group Imagine X, said he expects to see more independent candidates put their names forward to run in various ridings, perhaps including the Sea to Sky region, as the nomination deadline date of April 18 approaches.
“There are many people who have shown their intent and their interest, but getting through the process does take time and does take resources,” he said. “I am actually fairly optimistic we will see a lot more activity in the coming weeks.”
Squamish voters could play an important role in influencing the outcome of the election, according to Quest University’s Canadian studies professor, Kaija Belfry-Munroe. The traditional view of this riding is that it is a Liberal stronghold, added Belfry-Munroe. A BC Liberal candidate has taken the riding since 1991.
“And that is because West Vancouver generally votes ‘right’ and it is viewed as having enough of a population to sway the election both provincially and federally,” she said.
But that isn’t the whole story, according to Belfry-Munroe.
In the 2013 provincial election there were 9,871 registered West Vancouver voters in this riding, but there were 12,621 registered voters in Squamish and area, she said.
“So Squamish actually has more registered voters than West Van in this riding,” she said.
Voter turnout, however, is low in Squamish. In 2013 only 37 per cent of registered voters turned out in Squamish and surrounding areas to West Vancouver’s 44 per cent, Belfry-Munroe noted.
“The reason that the Liberals continue to have a stronghold here is that West Vancouver overwhelmingly votes BC Liberal with 73.5 per cent of the vote. In Squamish in the last election it was 47 per cent for the NDP, 38 per cent for the Liberals and 11 per cent for the Green party.
In Whistler, the Liberals won with 49 per cent of the vote.
“Because of that, in spite of Squamish’s trend toward the NDP, the Liberals still took the day and took it handily,” Belfry-Munroe said.
“Given the voter turnout is so low in Squamish… one wonders if it is not ripe for an increase in turnout,” she said. “Certainly if Squamish residents vote, they could have an impact on the election.”
In terms of why Squamish’s voter turnout is so low, Belfry-Munroe said there is a correlation between age and voter turnout: older people are more likely to head to the polls. Age also correlates with voting more conservatively, she added.
“In Whistler and West Van you may have older individuals voting where younger individuals are not,” she said.
“What that suggests is BC Liberals may be closer… to their maximum voter turnout than the NDP or the Greens,” she said. “If those two parties are able to get out the vote and increase voter turnout, and if they did so substantially then they likely have more room than the BC Liberals who probably have a lot of their older voters voting.”
Belfry-Munroe said she believes the low voter turnout in Squamish may also be due to two other factors: the perspective that this is a stronghold riding so, therefore, people feel they won’t have much of an impact; and the transient nature of Squamish’s current population who may have just moved here from somewhere else. “When people don’t feel rooted in a community they are less likely to even notice there’s an election going on,” Belfry-Munroe said.
Both Belfry-Munroe and Bantados urge Squamish voters, whatever their age, to engage in the political process as the provincial election approaches.
“It is our right and our privilege to be able to voice our opinions and to get to the polls and vote for who is going to be representing our interests best,” Bantados said.
“With a riding that has such a low voter turnout, it is anybody’s race.”
Residents can register to vote online at eregister.electionsbc.gov.bc.ca/ovr/welcome.aspx or by calling 1-800-661-8683.
