Vancouver public safety plebiscite results will not be known until October 21
The City of Vancouver counted candidate ballots by machine on election night, but the plebiscite forms will be scanned and tallied over the following days.
Reported. A news outlet found this. voche.me names the outlet and links its report. Read the original report on dailyhive.com.
Vancouver voters who filled out the public safety plebiscite form on October 17 will wait until October 21 for the results, Daily Hive Vancouver reported late on election night.
The delay comes from how the City processed the two different ballot forms. Voters at each polling station submitted two completed forms: one listing their choices for Mayor, City Council, Park Board, and School Board, and a second form for the plebiscite. The candidate forms went into tabulator machines, which count votes electronically on the spot. The plebiscite forms went into cardboard boxes, and the City will scan and count them over the coming days.
What the plebiscite asked
The plebiscite put two questions to voters. The first asked whether they support enabling greater enforcement against public hard drug use in public spaces. The second asked whether they support creating a secure medical treatment facility for people with severe mental health and addiction issues.
Both questions are non-binding. The results tell Council what voters think, but Council is not required to act on them.
October 21 for all official results
The City will release plebiscite results on October 21. Daily Hive Vancouver reported that October 21 is also the date for official election results across all four races, after the full count and mail ballot processing are complete.
Preliminary candidate results will begin to appear after polls close at 8 p.m. on October 17, but those numbers will shift as mail ballots and remaining in-person ballots are counted.
Advance voting set a record
More than 103,000 voters cast ballots during the four advance voting days before election day, Daily Hive Vancouver reported. That figure is up by about 60 per cent from the 65,000 advance voters in the 2022 civic election, which ran across five advance voting days.
The City also expanded from 22 advance voting locations in 2022 to 59 in 2026. Daily Hive Vancouver noted the plebiscite itself may have been one factor drawing more voters to the polls early.
What voters can do
Voters who want to follow the results can check the City of Vancouver's election page on the evening of October 17 for preliminary candidate counts. Official results for both the candidate races and the plebiscite will be published on October 21. See /where-to-vote for links to the City's results pages.
Questions this story answers
When will Vancouver's public safety plebiscite results be available?
Daily Hive Vancouver reports the City expects to publish plebiscite results on October 21, 2026. That is the same day the City will release the official election results for all four races: Mayor, City Council, Park Board, and School Board.
Why won't plebiscite results be announced on election night?
Daily Hive Vancouver reports that candidate ballot forms were fed into tabulator machines at polling stations, allowing for fast counting on election night. The plebiscite forms were placed in separate cardboard boxes and will be scanned and counted over the days following October 17. The two processes run on different timelines.
What are the two questions on Vancouver's public safety plebiscite?
Daily Hive Vancouver reports the City asked voters two questions: first, whether they support enabling greater enforcement against public hard drug use in public; and second, whether they support creating a secure medical treatment facility for people with severe mental health and addiction issues. The plebiscite is non-binding.
Is the public safety plebiscite binding on Vancouver City Council?
Daily Hive Vancouver describes it as a non-binding plebiscite. The result tells Council what voters think, but Council is not required by law to act on it. Candidates from every party answered questions about their positions on the two plebiscite topics during the campaign.
How many people voted in Vancouver's 2026 advance voting period?
Daily Hive Vancouver reports that more than 103,000 voters cast ballots during the four days of advance voting that ended before election day. That figure is up by about 60 per cent from the advance voting total in the 2022 civic election, which was 65,000 voters across five advance voting days.
How many advance voting locations did Vancouver have in 2026 compared to 2022?
Daily Hive Vancouver reports that Vancouver had 59 advance voting locations in 2026, compared with 22 in the 2022 civic election. The City nearly tripled the number of locations, which the article notes as one factor in the record advance turnout, even though 2026 had four advance voting days rather than five.
Where can I find the plebiscite results once they are published?
The City of Vancouver plans to publish the results on October 21, 2026, alongside the official election results. Check the City's election page at vancouver.ca for results as they become available. voche.me will cover the results when the City releases them.
Where can I check the candidate election results for Vancouver?
Preliminary candidate results for Mayor, City Council, Park Board, and School Board will begin to come in shortly after polls close at 8 p.m. on October 17. Official results, following a full count and any mail ballot processing, will be released on October 21. See the /where-to-vote page for links to the City's results page.
Sources
The pages this story draws on. Open one to check a claim yourself.
- Daily Hive Vancouver: Plebiscite results timelinedailyhive.com
- City of Vancouver election officevancouver.ca
Found an error? Tell the editors with the corrections form. A correction is noted on the story it changes. Read our standards.
