North and West Vancouver youth participated in a mock election last week, where the results were almost identical to the choices their parents made.
Youth across the province headed to classroom polling stations last week to cast their ballots, practicing their right to vote as part of the Student Vote 2024 program. The North Shore youth results for all four local ridings match the adult votes on election night, Oct. 19.
“The Student Vote engagement in West and North Van was incredible, and we would like to thank all the great educators who led the program in their classrooms,” said Dan Allan, chief program officer for CIVIX.
In the District of North Vancouver, students voted for BC NDP incumbent Bowinn Ma with 1,025 votes (59 per cent of the vote) compared to Conservative Party candidate David Splett, who was named on 712 of the ballots cast.
Incumbent BC NDP for North Vancouver-Seymour Susie Chant was re-elected by students, with 936 votes cast (37.58 per cent of the vote), with Conservative Party candidate Sam Chandola next with 584 votes (23.44 per cent).
West Vancouver-Capilano was a close race, where Conservative Party candidate Lynne Block was elected with 1,403 votes, compared to 1,043 votes for BC NDP candidate Sara Eftekhar.
BC Green Party candidate Jeremy Valeriote won the West Vancouver-Sea to Sky riding with 1,454 votes, carrying 41.30 per cent of the overall vote, with Conservative Party candidate Yuri Fulmer coming behind with 1,191 votes.
But the results aren’t surprising, Allan said, as youth who engage in the student vote program are discussing and engaging with the same issues as adults are, potentially leading to similar choices.
“It is very interesting that the student and adult results for North Vancouver and West Vancouver were very aligned, electing the same candidates for MLA,” Allan said. “We also hear many anecdotes about students and their parents and families engaging in discussions regarding the elections, and their preferences.”
CIVIX says 44 schools participated in the mock election in North and West Vancouver, with 8,767 ballots cast.
Overall student mock election results
BC NDP took 36.7 per cent of the popular vote and won 44 seats, forming a minority government. David Eby won his seat in Vancouver-Point Grey.
The Conservative Party came as the official opposition, forming 40 seats and 36.2 per cent of the popular vote. John Rustad won his Nechako Lakes seat.
Nearly 1,034 schools participated in the program overall, with results from 93 electoral districts across the province. CIVIX says 172,003 votes were valid while 5,958 were rejected.
To see the results of the mock election, visit studentvote.ca/results/bc2024.
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
