Overlapping B.C. elections will be bad for democracy, says expert

There may be a chill in the air this fall, but local leaders and political experts warn the real chill will be on democracy itself as British Columbians face concurrent provincial and municipal elections.

Premier David Eby called an election on Tuesday, sending voters to the polls in a general election on Oct. 24, just days after voting is set to conclude in municipal elections on Oct. 17.

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim slammed the decision, saying important local conservations will be drowned out. 

“British Columbia has separate election cycles for a reason,” said Sim. “That principle shouldn’t be set aside because the timing looks politically convenient.”

An Angus Reid poll released Thursday found voter malaise is high in the province. It said three-in-five British Columbians describe themselves as not enthusiastic about voting Oct. 24. 

Michael MacKenzie, a professor of political studies at Vancouver Island University and Jarislowsky Chair in Trust and Political Leadership, said voters will have to navigate two election campaigns at once while candidates compete for volunteers, funding and media attention.

“I think it’s bad for democracy. We tend to think that municipal elections are less important, but this isn’t true. All of our governments make important decisions that affect our lives in concrete ways, and we should be paying attention to all of these elections,” he said. 

When Eby appeared at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention in Vancouver last week, speculation was already rampant that he was gearing up to call a snap election. 

Local government officials, concerned a provincial campaign would overshadow local issues, urged Eby not to call an election during scheduled municipal elections.

Asked directly about the matter by outgoing UBCM president Cori Ramsay, Eby was non-committal, saying he had heard their concerns. 

“I think this shows a level of disrespect to all the people who put their names forward for these municipal elections because it immediately draws attention away from those elections,” said MacKenzie. 

He said, amid the ongoing decline of local media, it is already hard to sustain thorough news coverage of local elections, and having a provincial election happening at the same time only makes it more difficult. 

“I do not think it’s good for democracy, and I do think it’s transparent opportunism on the part of David Eby,” he said. 

The timing has also drawn criticism from the B.C. Conservatives, who have called the move “cynical” and “opportunistic,” particularly following a period of upheaval for the Opposition party that led to Lorne Doerkson taking over as interim leader less than a week ago. 

Eby rejected suggestions Tuesday that the timing was driven by political advantage.

He said it is necessary to get a renewed mandate from British Columbians to address the economic and sovereignty threats from the Trump administration in the U.S. 

“I have confidence in British Columbians. I have confidence in their ability to understand what’s going on, because their seeing it in their daily lives,” said Eby.