Ken Sim not only won the Oct. 15 municipal election with adult voters, but also took the mayors seat when local students cast their votes.
The city ran a vote for Grade 4 to 12 students, giving them a chance to experience what it's like to vote in a municipal election while still in their youth (you have to be 18 or older on voting day to vote in an election in B.C.).
"In Vancouver, participating schools received free learning resources and election supplies," says the city in a press release issued after the general voting day (Oct. 15). "These resources inform students about local government and the election process, while encouraging them to research into candidates and foster dialogue among students and their families."
In the mock election held in early October, more than 7,300 students cast ballots in Vancouver, representing 58 schools.
In the end Ken Sim won, with 38 per cent of the vote, according to the city; that's slightly under Sim's win in the actual polls, where he took 50 per cent of the vote.
Incumbent Kennedy Stewart finished in second again, as well, with 23 per cent (just under his 29 per cent on Oct. 15). Colleen Hardwick finished third in both elections, with about 10 per cent in each election.
While the mayoral race mimicked the adult vote, council diverged. While Sim's A Better City (ABC) party won seven seats with all candidates running for council getting elected, they had no such luck with students as only Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung getting a council seat from the youth (she was the top vote-getter in the city on Oct. 15).
The only other two councillors that were elected on Oct. 15 and by the students were the Greens Pete Fry and Adrian Carr.
Vancouver students' top choice for council was Dulcy Anderson, who ran with Forward with Kennedy Stewart. In second was Carr, while independent Amy 'Evil Genius' Fox took third.
Rounding out the council as per the students' vote was Asha Hayer from Progress Vancouver, Sean Nardi from TEAM, the Green's Michael Wiebe along with Alvin Singh and Tesssica Truong (both with Forward).
The election and students' vote were a little closer when it came to the school board where the two groups only agreed on four candidates out of nine: ABC's Preeti Faridkot and OneCity's Jennifer Reddy along with Janet Fraser and Lois Chan-Pedley of the Greens.
The students again shied away from ABC, and instead voted for Vision Vancouver's Steve Cardwell, Hilary Thomson and Aaron Leung, OneCity's Kyla Epstein, Nick Poppell from the Greens and Hilary Thomson.
