The NDP’s Grace Lore has now been declared the Victoria-Beacon Hill winner, according to the Canadian press.
Preliminary results from 105 of 117 ballot boxes that have reported show Lore with 6,776 votes, followed by Green candidate Jenn Neilson with 4,611, Liberal Karen Bill with 1,926 and independent candidate Jordan Reichert with 175.
Due to the large number of British Columbians who have chosen to vote by post this year, the election results will only be finalized after the count – sometime after November 6th.
Find out more about these candidates here.
ALSO READ: BC VOTES 2020 MAP: provincial election results, riding by riding
Lore watched the roll of the results and said she was extremely excited and optimistic that the final results will be in her favor.
“It is absolutely incredible to step into what I believe to be the largest shoes in the province,” she said, referring to Carole James who has been the NDP MLA for Victoria-Beacon Hill for the past 15 years.
“Our main concern is how we navigate and get through this pandemic from a health and economic perspective with a plan that works for everyone,” added Lore.
She said that regardless of whether people voted for her or not, she was “more honored to represent them.”
“I raise my children here and I deeply love this community.”
Lore said navigating an election during COVID-19 was a unique experience but looks forward to finding ways to ensure that Victoria-Beacon Hill residents are addressed in the future.
“I’m very optimistic about our ability to be nimble and creative,” she said.
“My kids are going to be so excited,” she added.
Looking back on her campaign, Neilson said her focus was on “community building” and “bridge building”. At 39, she joked that all of the older BC Green Party candidates see her as one of the young, while all of the young people running for the party see her as one of the old.
For Neilson, this was representative of the focus of their campaign – filling in the loopholes.
“This idea of being a person who can build bridges between generations and communities and people with different political leanings is really a strong idea,” she said.
Neilson said her PhD in philosophy also shaped her campaign. “What you learn from studying philosophy is how to construct an argument and how to listen to other people’s reasons and build them into your own beliefs.”
Regardless of the results, Neilson stressed that she would continue her work in the community.
| Karen Bill, BC Liberals, Victoria-Beacon Hill. (Courtesy Karen Bill) |
Liberal candidate Karen Bill has not yet responded to a request for comment today.
Speaking to Black Press Media earlier this month, she said, “The main problems in Victoria-Beacon Hill right now are the rapidly increasing homelessness and crime in our neighborhoods and parks.”
Bill works as a political analyst and researcher in Victoria.
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| Independent candidate Jordan Reichert followed the election results from home. (Courtesy Jordan Reichert) |
As he watched the election results, independent candidate Jordan Reichert said although he may not get the most votes tonight, he feels his campaign made a difference.
“I raised a few issues that the other candidates would not have considered and I think that is a success,” he said.
With his animal rights background, Reichert brought a unique perspective on climate change and housing issues. He said he wanted to highlight the impact of animal husbandry on climate change and the impact of lack of accommodation on pets.
Regarding his campaign, Reichert said his greatest insight was people’s appreciation for candidates who speak authentically.
“It’s refreshing,” he said. “It’s really important to be represented in the legislature for this.”
Reichert will continue in his role as Vice Chairman of the Animal Protection Party of Canada.
The early voting for the 2020 provincial election broke records, according to data released by Elections BC on Thursday (October 22nd).
The agency said 681,055 people had cast their vote during the seven days of the early voting session that ended Wednesday, compared to 614,389 in 2017. In 2013 there were 366,558 people who voted in advance and 290,220 in 2009 , with even less in previous elections. In Victoria-Beacon Hill this year, 8,930 voters cast their vote in the early vote.
READ MORE: Polling stations see a steady stream of voters for election day in BC, not long lines
Due to the pandemic, more British Columbians than ever have chosen to vote by mail. The election results will not be finalized until after November 6th, when these postal votes are counted. An estimated 18,363 postal ballot papers were requested from Election BC at Victoria-Beacon Hill. There are 48,772 registered voters in equestrian sports.
Across BC, a total of 724,279 ballots were returned to the BC election at 11:59 p.m. on October 23. There are approximately 3.5 million registered voters in the province.
In the 2017 provincial elections, James won in Victoria-Beacon Hill with 16,057 votes (53.05%), followed by Kalen Harris of the Greens with 9,194 (30.38%), the liberal Karen Bill with 4,689 (15.49%), Libertarian Art Lowe with 190 votes, Independent Jordan Reichert with 102 and Independent David Shebib with 35. The turnout for riding was 64.2%, above the national average of 61.2%.
READ MORE: BC Votes 2020
For more information on the elections, visit vicnews.com/tag/bc-votes-2020.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Due to the ongoing pandemic, Elections BC estimates that approximately 35 percent of voters used postal ballot papers counting from November 6th. This means that the election results may change tonight.
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