Vancouver Election 2026: Date, Mayor Candidates and How to Vote
Vancouver votes on Saturday, October 17, 2026, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and you can vote at any of the city's 85 voting places. The ballot elects a mayor, 10 city councillors, 7 Park Board commissioners and 9 school trustees, and asks 3 Capital Plan borrowing questions and 2 plebiscite questions on public safety. The vote is part of B.C.'s province-wide local elections, one week before the provincial election on October 24 (Wikipedia, citing the City of Vancouver).
Key dates
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Oct 3, 7, 10, 13 | Advance voting, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The last advance day is Tuesday, October 13 |
| Sat, Oct 17 | General voting day, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., at any voting place in the city |
| By 8 p.m., Oct 17 | Mail ballots must be received by the City |
Dates and hours from the City of Vancouver's where to vote page and election notices. Voters at UBC and the University Endowment Lands vote only for school trustees, at University Hill Secondary or the UBC AMS Student Nest.
Who is running for mayor
Eight candidates are on the mayoral ballot:
- Ken Sim, ABC Vancouver, the incumbent mayor since 2022
- Pete Fry, Green Party of Vancouver, city councillor since 2018
- Kareem Allam, Vancouver Liberals, a former chief of staff to Mayor Sim
- Colleen Hardwick, TEAM for a Livable Vancouver, city councillor from 2018 to 2022
- Rebecca Bligh, Vote Vancouver, city councillor since 2018
- Muhammad Ahmad, Bright Future Vancouver
- Amauri Caliman, independent
- Scott Gilbert, independent
COPE's Stephanie Allen and OneCity's William Azaroff withdrew from the race over the summer. List from Daily Hive and Wikipedia; the official list is on the City's election site.
What the polls say
Polls are snapshots, not predictions, and the race looks close at the top:
| Pollster, dates | Sim | Fry | Allam | Hardwick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada Pulse Insights, Sep 28–Oct 6 | 27% | 28% | 19% | 13% |
| Justason, Aug 31–Sep 11 | 30% | 45% | 10% | 11% |
Figures from the polling table on the Wikipedia election page, which links each poll. Vancouver elects its mayor by simple plurality: the candidate with the most votes wins.
How to vote
- Who can vote: you must be a Canadian citizen, 18 or older on October 17, and have lived in B.C. for at least six months immediately before registering. You must also either live in Vancouver, or have owned property in Vancouver, registered in your name, for at least 30 days before registering (City of Vancouver).
- Where: any of the 85 voting places on October 17. The City's where-to-vote page lists them with expected wait times.
- ID: if you're registered, bring the Voter Information Card mailed to you in September. If you aren't registered, you can register at the voting place with two pieces of ID that both show your name; at least one must show your address and at least one must show your signature.
- The ballot is long: up to 27 positions (1 mayor, 10 councillors, 7 Park Board commissioners and 9 trustees) and 5 questions. You can vote for up to 10 councillors, 7 Park Board commissioners and 9 trustees, but you don't have to fill every spot. Reading the candidate list before you go saves time.
Two elections in two weeks
This is the municipal vote. Premier David Eby's snap provincial election, for MLAs in Victoria, is a week later on Saturday, October 24, with advance voting starting October 16. They are run by different bodies: the City of Vancouver runs the municipal vote, and Elections BC runs the provincial one, so you'll get separate voter cards. See our guide to the B.C. provincial election.
Quick answers
When is the Vancouver election?
Saturday, October 17, 2026, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Can I vote anywhere in Vancouver?
Yes. On voting day you can use any of the 85 voting places.
Who is the mayor of Vancouver now?
Ken Sim of ABC Vancouver, elected in 2022 with 51% of the vote. He is running again.
When will results be known?
Counting starts after the polls close at 8 p.m., and unofficial results are usually posted on election night on the City's results page.
