Elections BC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 27, 2009

VICTORIA - Fifty-one percent of eligible voters in British Columbia voted in the 2009 General Election, Elections BC announced today. 

At the end of final count completed today, 1.65 million ballots were counted, 120,000 fewer than in the 2005 election. 

The current seat count is 49 for the BC Liberal Party, 35 for the BC NDP and one independent. The final vote count is 751,791 Liberal, 691,342 NDP, 134,570 Green, 34,465 Conservative and 28,284 votes for independent candidates and other parties. 

The seat and vote counts are pending a judicial recount in Delta South. 

The final election count includes 94,209 absentee ballots counted this week and 10,961 rejected ballots. 

Two recounts plus absentee ballots counted this week reversed the results in Delta South and Cariboo-Chilcotin, the two closest races in the province. In Delta South, independent candidate Vicki Huntington leads Liberal candidate Wally Oppal 9,977 votes to 9,945 votes. In Cariboo-Chilcotin, Liberal candidate Donna Barnett was declared elected with 6,259 votes to 6,171 for NDP candidate Charlie Wyse. 

In all other 83 electoral districts, candidates who were leading on election night maintained their positions and were declared elected after final count. 

In the referendum on electoral reform, there were 971,722 votes or 60.9% for the existing First-Past-the-Post system, 623,366 votes or 39.1% for the proposed BC-STV system and 56,246 rejected ballots. BC-STV was supported by 50% or more of voters in seven of 85 electoral districts. The proposed new electoral system did not meet either of the two thresholds required for approval by the electorate. 

The 51% turnout of 3.24 million eligible voters compares with 58% in the 2005 general election and 55% in the 2001 general election. 

“Fifty-one per cent is lower than we had hoped,” said Chief Electoral Officer Harry Neufeld. “But we feel British Columbians were given the information about the election and referendum and provided opportunities they needed to vote. In the end, the decision was theirs and we must respect their right to abstain if that’s their choice.” 

Elections BC is conducting a survey of 1,500 voters and non-voters to help guide the organization in developing plans for engaging eligible voters in future elections. 

-30-

Contact:
Kenn Faris
Manager, Event Communications
Phone: 250-387-2949
Email: Kenn.Faris@elections.bc.ca

Reference:  BC Voter Participation - Historical Trendlines and Voting Turnout - 2009 General Election