Local tradition tracks voter interest as Oct. 24 approaches
In a small but telling snapshot of civic engagement in New Westminster, a 35-year-old tradition at Burger Heaven has the two leading provincial contenders level with less than a week to go before voters head to the polls on Oct. 24.
As of Oct. 19, the eatery’s informal burger poll shows the David Eby burger and the Lorne Doerkson burger each holding 31 per cent of votes cast, with 24 per cent of participants still listing themselves as undecided. The survey is carried out at the restaurant and is intended to coincide with the provincial election campaign.
"The provincial election burger poll attempts to spark interest in the election."
The poll, run annually at Burger Heaven, is a locally rooted way for residents to register a preference in the election while participating in a community ritual. Burger Heaven general manager Chris Geib framed the exercise as a nudge to customers to think about the vote rather than a scientific measure of voting intention.
Breakdown of the poll at Burger Heaven
| Burger / Party | Share |
|---|---|
| David Eby (BC NDP) | 31% |
| Lorne Doerkson (BC Conservative Party) | 31% |
| Emily Lowan (BC Green Party) | 11% |
| Elenore Sturko (CentreBC Party) | 1% |
| Dallas Brodie (OneBC Party) | 2% |
| Undecided | 24% |
Voting in the promotion continues through to the end of day on Friday, Oct. 23. For electoral fairness and legal reasons, Burger Heaven does not publish the final results until after election day.
What the poll says about local engagement
Small local polls like Burger Heaven’s are not scientific. They reflect the preferences of the restaurant’s patrons and the neighbourhoods they draw from. Nevertheless, they offer a practical gauge of local conversation and voter curiosity: in this edition, the tie at the top and a sizeable undecided bloc point to an electorate still weighing options.
From a civic perspective, the promotion performs a public-service function in a low-pressure setting. It offers residents who might not otherwise engage with campaign materials a familiar place to register a preference, and it can spark conversation among friends and neighbours — an important ingredient in turnout on election day.
- Local snapshot: 35 years of the burger poll underlines a continuity of civic ritual in New Westminster.
- Undecided voters: 24 per cent remain undecided, a group that could be pivotal if distributed unevenly on election day.
- Timing: Polling inside the restaurant closes Oct. 23; results will be revealed after the provincial vote.
For New Westminster residents, the poll is less about precise forecasting and more about signalling the tenor of local debate. The equal shares for the Eby and Doerkson burgers suggest a community split in loyalties, while the Green option’s double-digit showing points to a persistent niche of environmental-minded voters within the city’s electorate.
As voters in New Westminster prepare to cast ballots, local traditions such as Burger Heaven’s poll are reminders that democratic participation happens in many settings beyond town halls and door-knocking. They also emphasise the importance of last-minute conversations — among colleagues, family and fellow diners — that can shape decisions made at the ballot box.
When the restaurant posts its final tally after Oct. 24, it will join other community markers — like turnout and advance-vote patterns — in building a fuller picture of how New Westminster voted in this provincial campaign.
