Far fewer than half of eligible voters cast ballots in local government elections in the Creston Valley on Saturday.
The Town of Creston had a turnout of 34 per cent, while RDCK Area A was 28 per cent, Area C was 24 per cent, and Area B was 18 per cent. The Area B figure was the lowest of any municipality or electora area in the West Kootenay/Boundary.
For the second straight election, New Denver had the highest voter turnout by percentage in the the region.
New Denver’s 71 per cent was tops among the 21 municipalities and electoral areas that had races and it came despite the fact there was no mayoral contest in the village. In 2022, New Denver had a 77 per cent turnout.
Three other places topped 60 per cent: Midway, Kaslo, and Slocan. Greenwood and Rossland were the only other places above 50 per cent.
At the bottom end among municipalities were Castlegar and Fruitvale, at 28 and 26 per cent, respectively. Those also had the lowest turnouts in 2022.
The table below shows the turnout in all of the areas that voted on Saturday. Montrose, Salmo, Silverton, and Warfield councils were elected by acclamation. Several RDCK and RDKB areas also elected directors by acclamation.
Turnout figures were not immediately available for school districts.
| Area | Turnout% |
|---|---|
| New Denver | 71 |
| Midway | 63 |
| Kaslo | 63 |
| Slocan | 61 |
| Greenwood | 52 |
| Rossland | 50 |
| Nakusp | 39 |
| Nelson | 39 |
| Grand Forks | 38 |
| Trail | 36 |
| RDKB Area C (Christina Lake) | 36 |
| Creston | 34 |
| RDCK Area G (Salmo Valley) | 31 |
| RDCK Area K (Arrow Lakes) | 31 |
| Castlegar | 28 |
| RDCK Area A (East Shore) | 28 |
| Fruitvale | 26 |
| RDCK Area C (Rural Creston) | 24 |
| RDCK Area J (Lower Arrow-Columbia) | 21 |
| RDKB Area B (Genelle-Paterson-Casino) | 19 |
| RDCK Area B (Rural Creston) | 18 |
