From the Vancouver Sun – May 5, 2011

by Chad Skelton

VANCOUVER – The B.C. riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands, which made
history Monday by electing Canada’s first Green MP, is notable for
another reason: It’s the only riding in B.C. where more than
three-quarters of eligible voters cast a ballot.

Overall, 61.1
per cent of eligible voters in B.C. cast a ballot, up slightly from 60.1
per cent in 2008. That mirrored a national uptick in voter turnout to
61.4 per cent from 58.8 per cent in 2008.

Voter turnout rates vary
significantly from riding to riding. Saanich-Gulf Islands had the
highest turnout at 75.2 per cent, followed by Victoria at 68.4 and North
Vancouver at 67.6. Richmond had the worst voter turnout at 50.7 per
cent, followed by Surrey North at 51.9 and Fleetwood-Port Kells at 53.4.
In addition to topping the voterturnout rankings, Saanich-Gulf Islands
also saw one of the biggest jumps in turnout this year, a 4.8-point
increase from 70.4 per cent in 2008 -no doubt partly due to the Green
party’s chances in the riding. The biggest increase in turnout, though,
was in Prince George-Peace River, which saw turnout jump a full five
points to 53.9 on Monday from 48.9 in 2008. Abbotsford, another safe
Conservative seat, saw the biggest drop in voter turnout, falling to
53.9 per cent from 59.5 per cent in 2008. For a detailed graphic showing
voter turnout in each B.C. riding, plus plenty of other interactive
charts and maps, go to vancouversun.com/papertrail.

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