There’s something to be said for being the hometown candidate, even if it doesn’t win you the election, poll-by-poll breakdowns from the last provincial election suggest.
Joseph Hughes, a Nakusp village councillor who ran in Kootenay West as an independent, didn’t come close to winning. But he did top some polls in his own backyard.
Data released by Elections BC from the May vote shows that Hughes, who campaigned on the Columbia River Treaty and finished third among four candidates with 13 per cent of the vote, was the top choice among Upper Arrow Lake residents. He won seven of the 11 ballot boxes in the area, securing 37.5 per cent of the vote to incumbent New Democrat’s Katrine Conroy 34.4 per cent.
Conroy still won a landslide re-election overall, with heavy support everywhere else in the riding, including the Slocan Valley, Castlegar, and Greater Trail. Liberal candidate Jim Postnikoff only won a single poll, in the Glenbank area, although he finished second in most others.
For complete poll-by-poll breakdowns, visit nelsonstar.com. While Elections BC numbers the polling stations, it doesn’t name them. Using maps provided on their website, we assigned unofficial geographic names.