Vancouver votes, 1886 to today.
110 civic elections, 1,808 people who put their name on a ballot, and a century of shifting alliances — from the independents of the boomtown years through the NPA’s long reign to Vision and ABC. Plus the city’s provincial and federal ridings. All open data, charted so you can actually read it.
Who held power
The mayor’s chair and City Council, coloured by party, since the city’s first election in 1886. Open the full timeline →
Dig in
Seven views of the same open data.
Three things the data says
The longest reigns
Lewis Denison Taylor spent 11 years in the mayor’s chair over 4 separate stints between 1910 and 1934. The longest unbroken run is Gregor Robertson’s 10 years (2008–2018).
The most crowded ballot
58 people ran for mayor in 1996, including a “Zippy the Circus Chimp”, a “Yummy Girl” and a “Ronald F. McDonald”. Philip Owen won anyway with 53.15% of the vote.
Turnout is a habit, not a rule
Half of registered voters turned out in 2002; barely three in ten did in 2008. The gap between a high-stakes race and a sleepy one is bigger than any long-run trend.