COPE on elections: ranked ballots for mayor, votes at 16, Democracy Dollars
COPE would push for a ranked ballot for mayor starting in 2030, proportional representation with wards, and voting rights for permanent residents and everyone over 16. It would create $25 Democracy Dollars vouchers and convene a citizens assembly on electoral reform.
FIGHT FOR VANCOUVER · PAGE 26
Take Democracy Back from the Billionaires: what the Fight for Vancouver says
COPE's last chapter is about how Vancouver elects its government. The party says that in 2022 ABC won less than 37% of all votes cast across Council, School Board and Park Board but took a majority on every board. Its answer is a new voting system. COPE says it secured a promise from the progressive parties to fight for a ranked ballot for mayor, like those used in New York and San Francisco, starting in 2030.
Over the longer term, COPE wants proportional representation with wards, where each part of the city elects several members in proportion to the votes. Its members have endorsed the model used in Portland, Oregon. The party would convene a citizens assembly, a group of residents brought together to study the question, to design a model for Vancouver. It would also give every resident the vote, including permanent residents and anyone over 16, and end voting by property owners who live elsewhere.
COPE would start a Democracy Dollars program, based on one in Seattle, where residents can ask for a $25 voucher of public money to give to a party or candidate. It would make transit free on election days and add polling stations, mobile voting and accessible options. Who may vote is set in the Vancouver Charter, a provincial law: today a voter must be 18 and a Canadian citizen. Campaign money is governed by the provincial Local Elections Campaign Financing Act. These changes would need the Province.
THE PARTY'S NUMBERS
Figures in this chapter
First election in which COPE wants a ranked ballot for mayor
The party's figure, page 26Value of the Democracy Dollars voucher a resident could request
The party's figure, page 26Voting age COPE wants
The party's figure, page 26Share of total votes across Council, School Board and Park Board that the platform's chart gives ABC in 2022
The party's figure, page 267 COMMITMENTS
What the party says it would do
A ranked ballot for mayor, starting in 2030
COPE says it secured a commitment from all progressive parties to fight for a ranked ballot for mayor, like in New York and San Francisco, starting in 2030. It would push the provincial government to give cities full control over their own electoral systems.
- Who has the power
- Province Vancouver's election rules are set in the Vancouver Charter, a provincial law that only the Province can change.
Use public tools to engage residents
The party would oppose what it calls the erosion of democracy in the era of Trump. In place of abolishing the elected Park Board, or cutting community engagement tools without suitable replacements, it would use advisory committees, public hearings, citizens assemblies, participatory budgeting and referendums.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council sets up its own advisory committees and public consultation.
A Democracy Dollars program
COPE would create a Democracy Dollars program, based on one in Seattle, Washington, where residents can request a $25 voucher from public funds to give to local political parties or candidates.
- Who has the power
- City, with others Campaign money in BC local elections is governed by the provincial Local Elections Campaign Financing Act, so the program would have to fit that law or the Province would have to change it.
Proportional representation, ranked ballots and wards
The party would fight for an electoral system that balances regional representation, proportionality and voter expression. COPE members have endorsed the model used in Portland, Oregon, with multi-member wards in a proportional system.
- Who has the power
- Province Vancouver's election rules are set in the Vancouver Charter, a provincial law that only the Province can change.
A citizens assembly on electoral reform
COPE would convene a citizens assembly to produce a model for Vancouver's elections, saying residents should have the final say on the electoral system.
- Who has the power
- City, with others Council can set up a citizens assembly, but any new voting system it proposes would need the Province to change the Vancouver Charter.
Votes for all residents at 16, and an end to non-resident voting
The party would expand the right to vote to all residents, including permanent residents and everyone above the age of 16, and end voting by property owners who do not live in Vancouver.
- Who has the power
- Province The Vancouver Charter, a provincial law, says a voter must be 18 and a Canadian citizen, and allows non-resident property owners to vote. Only the Province can change it.
Make it easier to vote
COPE would make transit free on election days and make sure there are enough polling stations, including mobile voting stations, and accessibility options for seniors and people with disabilities.
- Who has the power
- City, with others Free transit is a decision for TransLink, a regional body. The platform treats polling stations as a city task.
WHO WOULD HAVE TO ACT
Where the power sits for this chapter
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Questions about take democracy back from the billionaires
Does COPE support ranked ballots in Vancouver?
Yes. COPE says it secured a commitment from the progressive parties to fight for a ranked ballot for mayor starting in 2030. Vancouver's election rules are set in the Vancouver Charter, a provincial law, so the Province would have to agree (platform, page 26).
Does COPE want to lower the voting age to 16 in Vancouver?
Yes. COPE would expand the right to vote to all residents, including permanent residents and everyone above 16. Today the Vancouver Charter requires a voter to be 18 and a Canadian citizen, and only the Province can change it (platform, page 26).
What are COPE's Democracy Dollars?
COPE would let residents request a $25 voucher from public funds to give to local political parties or candidates, based on a program in Seattle. Campaign money in BC local elections is governed by provincial law (platform, page 26).
Does COPE want wards in Vancouver?
Yes. COPE would fight for proportional representation, ranked ballots and wards. Its members have endorsed the Portland, Oregon model of multi-member wards in a proportional system, and it would convene a citizens assembly to design a model for Vancouver (platform, page 26).
Why does COPE want to change how Vancouver votes?
The platform says ABC received less than 37% of total votes across Council, School Board and Park Board in 2022 but won a majority on every board. COPE says residents should have the final say on the electoral system (platform, page 26).
Would COPE end non-resident property owner voting?
Yes. COPE would end voting by property owners who do not live in Vancouver while giving the vote to permanent residents. The Vancouver Charter now lets non-resident property owners vote, and only the Province can change it (platform, page 26).
ON THE BALLOT
The COPE candidates behind this
Sources
Every commitment on this page comes from the party's own material, marked SAYS SO ITSELF. It proves what the party says it would do. Who holds each power is our own addition, from the sources listed after it.
- Fight for Vancouver: COPE 2026 Platform (PDF) SAYS SO ITSELFCOPE · pages 26 · checked
- Vancouver Charter, sections 23 and 24: who may vote in Vancouver elections Province of British Columbia · checked
- Making a campaign contribution in BC local elections Elections BC · checked