New Westminster recorded a substantial increase in civic election participation in 2026, with 39.5 per cent voter turnout and more than 23,000 residents casting ballots, according to official figures provided by the City of New Westminster.
Advance voting overhaul credited for surge
City officials point to a suite of changes to how elections were delivered this year — including a mailed Voters Guide, a city-wide “vote anywhere” policy and a dramatic expansion of advance voting opportunities — as key drivers of the increase.
Voter turnout in New Westminster soared compared to the past five civic elections —with well over 23,000 residents casting votes.
The city offered an “unprecedented” nine advance voting opportunities over five days. That included a Super Saturday on Oct. 10 featuring five advance locations. More than 9,000 voters used advance voting or mail-in ballots in 2026, an increase of 120 per cent over 2022.
How the votes broke down
On general voting day, Saturday, Oct. 17, 13,187 people voted, up from 11,271 who voted on the general day in 2022. The city also recorded 440 mail-in ballots this year.
- 2026 overall turnout: 39.5% (more than 23,000 voters)
- General voting day: 13,187 voters
- Advance voting and mail-in: More than 9,000 voters (including 440 mail-in ballots)
- Advance voting opportunities: Nine over five days; Super Saturday with five locations
The city had increased advance voting after recommendations from City of New Westminster staff following the 2022 election, when advance voting accounted for 26.62 per cent of the total vote but was offered on only three days. With higher demand for alternatives to voting on a single day, the shift to more advance options appears to have drawn a broader slice of the electorate.
| Year | Turnout |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 39.5% |
| 2022 | 27.28% |
| 2018 | 27.51% |
| 2014 | 29.97% |
| 2011 | 25.06% |
| 2008 | 23.58% |
Advance voting: daily breakdown
The city released counts for each advance voting day, which highlight how concentrated turnout was on the Super Saturday event:
| Advance day | Votes |
|---|---|
| Day 1 (Oct. 7) | 1,253 |
| Day 2 (Oct. 8) | 1,072 |
| Day 3 (Oct. 9) | 1,435 |
| Day 4 — Super Saturday (Oct. 10) | 3,733 |
| Day 5 (Oct. 14) | 1,609 |
By early afternoon on general voting day, the city had already surpassed its overall turnout from 2022. When polls closed at 8 p.m., a few stations remained open briefly to allow voters who were in line before closing time to cast ballots.
The turnout jump reflects a broader trend in municipal administrations experimenting with more voter-friendly options — mail-outs, flexible polling locations and additional advance days — in an effort to remove barriers and make participation easier. For New Westminster, the changes appear to have had a measurable effect on engagement across neighbourhoods.
City staff will likely review the results and the operational lessons of running nine advance voting days, the Super Saturday event and the vote-anywhere approach as council and election administrators consider whether those practices become standard for future municipal contests.
The surge in participation also means the incoming council and school board will take office with a mandate shaped by a wider cross-section of the electorate than in recent cycles — a notable factor for a city balancing growth pressures, transportation projects and community priorities.
