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How would young people have decided the B.C. election? We have an answer.

In Langley, Maple Ridge and neighbouring Abbotsford ridings, the winners would be the same
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Students at Langley’s Brookswood school were among an estimated 85,000 students who cast ballots representing all 87 electoral districts in the province, mirroring the actual election (file)

If B.C. secondary school students had decided the 2020 B.C. election, John Horgan and the governing New Democrats would have won an even larger majority, and the Green party, not the Liberals, would have come in second to form the official opposition.

Results from the province-wide Student Vote saw NDP candidates top the polls in both Langley and Maple Ridge ridings, the same as they did in the Saturday vote, and with the Liberals similarly taking the Abbotsford West and Abbotsford South ridings.

In Langley, students gave the NDP’s Andrew Mercier 42.95 per cent, about the same share as he won in the Saturday note, 44.63 per cent.

Liberal incumbent Mary Polak was again second, with a smaller percentage of 23.59 per cent, compared to the 34.82 per cent she received on Saturday.

Langley East saw students give the NDP’s Megan Dykeman 36.91 per cent of ballots over Green party candidate Cheryl Wiens, who placed second with 20.70 per cent, in contrast to the Saturday vote results that saw Dykeman win 38.78 per cent, while Liberal Margaret Kunst was a close second with 34.9 per cent.

In Maple Ridge – Mission, students elected Bob D’Eith of the NDP with 44.65 per cent, less than the 53.44 per cent he received on Saturday, but unlike the Saturday ballot, the Green candidate finished second, while the Liberal was third.

Students elected with 64.97 per cent, close to double that of the Liberal candidate, roughly the same margins as Saturday’s ballot.

In neighbouring Abbotsford West, Liberal Michael de Jong won 38.66 per cent of the vote from students, compared to the 47.23 per cent he received in the Saturday vote, while Abbotsford South Liberal Bruce Banman took 34.88 pert cent from the students, and 46.29 per cent on Saturday.

Those margins and outcomes from the Saturday vote may change after thousands of mail-in ballots are counted in November, however.

More than 700 elementary and high schools participated in the Student Vote program for the 2020 British Columbia provincial election.

READ MORE: PHOTOS: Students cast a ballot for Langley candidates

After learning about government and the election process, researching the parties and platforms, and debating the future of British Columbia, students cast ballots for the official candidates running in their school’s electoral district.

Student Vote is a program of CIVIX, a non-partisan Canadian charity dedicated to strengthening democracy through citizenship education among school-aged youth.

The Student Vote project for the 2020 British Columbia provincial election was made possible by Elections BC.

This year’s vote was the sixth provincial Student Vote organized to date.

More than 85,000 students cast ballots, representing all 87 electoral districts in the province.

“This election was particularly challenging for schools given the pandemic, and the nature of a snap election. We are grateful for all of the educators that dedicated time and energy to engaging their students and adapting to new safety protocols,” said Lindsay Mazzucco, Chief Operating Officer of CIVIX.

Students elected John Horgan and the BC NDP to form a majority government with 59 out of 87 seats and 40 per cent of the vote. Horgan also won in the electoral district of Langford—Juan de Fuca with 52 per cent of the vote.

READ ALSO: Horgan, NDP head for majority in B.C. election results

Sonia Furstenau and the BC Green Party took 16 seats and would form the official opposition, receiving 28 per cent of the popular vote. Furstenau also won in the electoral district of Cowichan Valley with 49 per cent of the vote.

Andrew Wilkinson and the BC Liberal Party won 12 seats and received 25 per cent of the vote. Wilkinson also won in the electoral district of Vancouver—Quilchena with 39 per cent of the vote.

Trevor Bolin and the Conservative Party of BC won 1 seat. Bolin won in the electoral district of Peace River North with 42 per cent of the vote.

The Christian Heritage Party of BC won 1 seat. Rod Taylor was elected in the Stikine electoral district with 41 per cent of the vote.

There were two ties, in the electoral districts of Kelowna—Lake Country (tied between the BC Green Party and BC NDP) and Shuswap (tied between the BC Liberal Party and BC NDP).



dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com

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Dan Ferguson

About the Author: Dan Ferguson

Best recognized for my resemblance to St. Nick, I’m the guy you’ll often see out at community events and happenings around town.
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