On final day of transportation plebiscite voting, ‘no’ side still has more support: PlaceSpeak
Posted May 29, 2015 8:31 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
METRO VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – If you still haven’t returned your ballot to Elections BC, you only have hours left to do so.
Time is ticking down in Metro Vancouver’s transportation plebiscite, and it looks like the “no” side could be poised to win it.
Our friends at PlaceSpeak have been tracking the numbers since voting started; and they say the ‘no’ camp has really been in front from the get-go.
The gap has narrowed, though the “no” side is still about ten points ahead.
Most people who responded from Vancouver have placed their support with the “yes” side.
“Vancouver has maintained a 60/40 majority from the beginning but we have seen in other municipalities — notably New Westminster would be an example, even places like the Township of Langley — we’ve seen a shift more in favour of the ‘yes’ side,” says Colleen Hardwick with PlaceSpeak.
“But other municipalities have continued to have a strong ‘no’ vote, and those ones of course would include Surrey, Delta, Richmond, and Burnaby,” she explains.
It’s important to note the number of people who responded to the current tally is about half the number that responded to the first one back in March.
“I have been surprised, given the amount of money and energy that has been put into advertising the ‘yes’ side, that it hasn’t had a more profound effect. I do see, obviously, that there has been an increase in the ‘yes’ vote overall, but [to me,] it hasn’t really matched the amount of resources that have been put into it by various levels of governments and other organizations.”
Hardwick adds there are about 1,000 comments in the PlaceSpeak discussion forums, which have been notably absent of online trolls.
Ballots are due to Elections BC at 8 p.m. today. You can drop it off in person at one of the following offices:
North Vancouver – Capilano Mall
Surrey – Central City Mall
Vancouver – Chinatown Plaza, City Square Shopping Centre
Coquitlam – Coquitlam Centre
Maple Ridge – Haney Place Mall
Burnaby – Lougheed Town Centre
Richmond – Richmond Centre Mall
Langley – Willowbrook Shopping Centre
About 45 percent of ballots have been returned so far.
