General voting day in Vancouver's byelection: what you need to know - Action News
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General voting day in Vancouver's byelection: what you need to know

How many people will vote in Vancouver's byelection today?

28 candidates are on the ballot for one council seat and nine school board positions

Vancouver City Hall is one of 50 locations in the city where people can vote from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Saturday's byelection. (Cliff Shim/CBC)

How many people will vote in Vancouver's byelection today?

The last time the city had a byelection was 1992, when about 10 per cent of registered voters turned out to elect one councillor.

Janice McKenzie,Vancouver'schief election officer, hopesthis year will be different.

"I'm hopeful for a 25 per cent turnout," McKenzie said.

"The difference being it's unusual in a byelection that you would have an entire school board up for election, but that's the case here ...I think that's garnering some attention."

Here's what you need to know.

Where and when can I vote?

There will be 50 polling stations open in Vancouver from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and people can vote at any one they choose. There will also be one polling station at University Hill Secondaryon the University Endowment Lands, but residents there can only vote for school board trustees.

For amap with a full list, click here.

Who's on the ballot?

There are nine people running for the one council position vacated by Geoff Meggs, and 19 people running for the nine school board positions six of whom were fired by the previous Liberal government after the board failed to pass a balanced budget.

Council (can vote for one)

Vision Vancouver:Diego Cardona, a 21-year-old who has done work for a variety of non-profit groups, including serving as program coordinator for the Kiwassa Neighbourhood House.

NPA:Hector Bremner, the B.C. Liberal candidate for New Westminster in the 2013 election and former executive assistant to former cabinet ministers Rich Coleman and Teresa Wat.

Greens:Pete Fry,former chair of the Strathcona Residents Association and 2013 council candidate, and son of longtime Liberal MP Hedy Fry.

COPE:The longtime left-wing party is not running itsown candidate, but has officially endorsedJean Swanson, ananti-poverty and social justice advocate in Vancouver for over 40 years.

OneCity:Judy Graves, a homeless advocate who served with the city in an official capacity from 2010 to 2013.The OneCitypartywas formed before the 2014 municipal election.

Sensible Vancouver:Marijuana advocateMary Jean "Watermelon"Dunsdonis running for the recently created Sensible Vancouver party.

Independents:Gary Lee,Damian Murphy,Joshua Wasilenkoff.

School board (can vote for nine)

Vision Vancouver: They are running five candidates Mike Lombardi, Joy Alexander, Allen Wong (all three of whom were part of the former school board), Ken Clement and Theodora Lamb.

NPA:Five candidates Fraser Ballantyne, Christopher Richardson (both of whom were part of the former school board), Lisa Dominato, Robert McDowell and Jorge Julian Prieto.

Greens:Three candidates Janet Fraser(part of the former school board), Estrellita Gonzalez and Judy Zaichkowsky.

COPE:Diana Day.

OneCity:Carrie Bercic and Erica Jaaf.

IDEA Vancouver:Jamie Lee Hamilton.

Independents:Christine Arnold, Adi Pick.

Information on each candidate can be found here.

What do I need to vote?

To vote, people must be 18 or older, a Canadian citizen and B.C. resident for at least six months and a resident of Vancouver for at least 30 days.

Citizens must also be onthe voters' listor must register at the ballot box with two pieces of identification proving residence in Vancouver, or one piece of ID along with filling out an oath of declaration.