Where do your candidates stand? Vital Vote 2026 puts the answers in one place
Community Foundation North Okanagan publishes non-partisan questionnaire responses from 61 candidates across the region
With advance voting beginning October 7, North Okanagan voters can now read what their local candidates think about the issues that matter here, in the candidates’ own words. Vital Vote 2026, a non-partisan candidate questionnaire from Community Foundation North Okanagan (CFNO), is live now at cfno.org/vitalvote.
In total, 61 candidates responded. The questionnaire covers Vernon, Coldstream, Armstrong, Spallumcheen, Enderby, Lumby, Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO) Electoral Area F, and school trustees for School District 22 and School District 83.
Vital Vote grows from Vital Vernon, the 2022 questionnaire CFNO created for Vernon mayor and council candidates. This year, the project reaches across the whole region, so a voter in Enderby or Lumby has the same kind of side-by-side information as a voter in Vernon.
“Local government shapes so much of daily life, from housing to parks to the services our neighbours rely on,” said Leanne Hammond, Executive Director of Community Foundation North Okanagan. “Vital Vote gives every voter in the region a simple way to see where their candidates stand before they mark their ballot. Whatever community you live in, the answers are in one place.”
Every candidate was invited to answer the same questions for their role, across five issue areas drawn from CFNO’s Vital Signs work: environmental, social, cultural, economic and health. Answers are published as submitted and capped at 1,200 characters each, so they stay focused and easy to compare.
The questions were developed by a volunteer working group in consultation with local champions in each issue area. Vital Vote does not endorse candidates. Its role is to give voters clear, side-by-side information.
Mayor and council races tend to get the most attention, but many voters will also elect school trustees and, in Area F, an RDNO electoral area director. These roles make decisions about schools, rural services, land use and more. Vital Vote includes answers from candidates for all of them, so voters can read up on every race on their ballot.
Using the site is simple. Visitors choose their municipality, electoral area or school district, then read each candidate’s answers to the same set of questions. The site also lists all-candidates forums and shares advance voting and voting day details for each community.
Answers are online now. Advance voting begins October 7, and General Voting Day is Saturday, October 17, 2026.
To find your candidates and read their answers, visit cfno.org/vitalvote.
