Today, Friday, May 29, is the last chance to submit your vote in the transit plebiscite, and all ballots must be hand-delivered in order to arrive at the elections office no later than 8 p.m. tonight.
As of Wednesday, only 45 per cent of ballots had been returned in Metro Vancouver. During a Thursday press conference, Mayor Gregor Robertson hinted that he regretted the decision to offer the mail-in ballot system over a long period of time, saying that it was a “unique and challenging approach that may have excluded some people, particularly young people who may have never mailed anything in their lives.”
Ballots were mailed out in mid-March, giving residents over two months to drop their votes in a mailbox.
Even though the transit plebiscite has been marketed as a referendum by some media and even City Hall, the two terms are not interchangeable.
According to B.C.’s provincial laws, a referendum is a legally binding public vote on a matter of public interest. This means the government that initiated the referendum must take necessary action that changes or implements new legislation and programs in response to the result of a vote.
In contrast, a plebiscite gauges public opinion on a matter of public interest but the results of the referendum are not binding on the government to act upon, theoretically saying that this year’s vote is a glorified and expensive opinion poll.
Stop by any of these locations with your ballot today to submit your vote:
Locations of transit plebiscite offices for ballot drop-off
Please note that all transit plebiscite offices are open during mall hours, with the exception of Friday, May 29 when ballots must be in by 8 p.m.
Capilano Mall (North Vancouver)
- Address: 935 Marine Drive, North Vancouver
- Location within mall: Beside Dollar Tree, next to Sears entrance
Central City Mall (Surrey)
- Address: 10153 King George Boulevard, Surrey
- Location with mall: On second level, across from Pearle Vision
Chinatown Plaza (Vancouver)
- Address: 180 Keefer Street, Vancouver
- Location within mall: Across from mall entrance
City Square Shopping Centre (Vancouver)
- Address: 555 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver
- Location within mall: On main level, across from Safety near Body Energy Club
Coquitlam Centre (Coquitlam)
- Address: 2929 Barnet Highway, Coquitlam
- Location within mall: On lower level, next to SportChek and McDonald’s
Haney Place Mall (Maple Ridge)
- Address: 11900 Haney Place, Maple Ridge
- Location within mall: Beside Cartel Jewels, across from Marlin Travel
Lougheed Town Centre (Burnaby)
- Address: 9855 Austin Road, Burnaby
- Location within mall: On main level, near H&M
Richmond Centre Mall (Richmond)
- Address: 6551 No. 3 Road, Richmond
- Location within mall: Across from Michael Kors and next to BCBG
Willowbrook Shopping Centre (Langley)
- Address: 19705 Fraser Highway, Langley
- Location within mall: Between Hallmark and Aldo
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