In the last election, only 19 per cent of Port Coquitlam residents bothered to vote, but this year is much different. By noon on Saturday, voter turnout had matched the entire 2005 election. The advance polls were up 50 per cent.
More than two dozen names are on the ballot, including troubled mayor Scott Young, who was convicted of assaulting his ex-girlfriend last year. Young is running for city council.
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Greg Moore is running for position of mayor in Port Coquitlam. If elected, he hopes to rebuild the city's reputation.
"It's really affected our reputation as a community," says Moore, "I'm tired of going to other communities and they say 'Hey, aren't you the community with that mayor?'"
Mike Bowen is also seeking the mayor's job. He was first elected to council in 2001; the same year Scott Young became mayor. CTV asked Bowen if he would want Young on council if he was elected.
"(I'm) happy with whoever residents elect, whether it's Scott Young or any other candidate," says Bowen.
In total, 23 candidates are running for six councillor positions and only three of them are incumbents. It might take only a few thousand votes to get elected, and Scott Young certainly has name recognition.
Young is still serving a conditional sentence for assaulting his ex-girlfriend and a male companion in April 2007. He has since publicly apologized for the incident.
He has kept a low profile in the community since his conviction and sentencing, and many were surprised he'd run for council, after running from the cameras upon release from jail.
We'll know later tonight how many residents did vote for Young.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Carrie Stefanson
