FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, September 21, 2026
SURREY, BC — Mike Starchuk has won a straw poll on r/SurreyBC, the city’s subreddit, by a landslide. He is the only candidate for mayor whose score is above zero, and it’s not even close.
An r/SurreyBC member posted the question two days ago: “Surrey 2026 Mayoral Election — Who are you planning to vote for?” Each of the seven candidates was listed as a separate comment and readers were asked to upvote the one they support. As of 9:00 am on Monday, September 21, Starchuk stood at +100. Every other candidate was underwater: Igal Ammons-II at −11, Troy Van Vliet at −12, Brenda Locke at −25, Linda Annis at −31, Honveer Singh Randhawa at −46, and Doug McCallum at −53. The thread has drawn 77 comments.
It is a straw poll, not a scientific survey. Reddit scores are net upvotes. But it is the only public indicator of the race featuring all candidates.
The comments say why. One of the most-upvoted replies in the thread came from a first-time voter: “This is the first election I’m able to vote in, and after doing my research he seems like the best option.” Another called Starchuk’s platform “more realistic yet ambitious” next to rivals’ promises that need the province to pay for them. A skeptic who criticized Starchuk early in the thread came back a day later: “After having a better look at the candidates, I think I was wrong, Starchuk might be the guy I vote for.” Running through all of it is a city that has had enough of the old parties that have run City Hall for decades. Only Mike Starchuk and Imagine Surrey can be trusted to bring change that works for Surrey.
The Imagine Surrey campaign saw the collapse of Surrey First support last week following the latest Linda Annis scandal. Surrey First voters have broken overwhelmingly for Mike Starchuk, giving the campaign a massive surge. Mike Starchuk is the only candidate who can defeat Brenda Locke and bring change to City Hall.
About the poll
The thread was started by an identified r/SurreyBC member unaffiliated with any of the campaigns. Scores are the net upvotes displayed by Reddit at 9:00 am on Monday, September 21, 2026. It is an open, self-selected online poll with no margin of error, and the scores change as people vote. The thread may be viewed and verified at: reddit.com/r/SurreyBC/
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About Imagine Surrey
Imagine Surrey is a civic party running a full slate of candidates in the October 17, 2026 municipal election. Led by mayoral candidate Mike Starchuk – a former firefighter and Chief Fire Prevention Officer, former City Councillor, and former MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale – Imagine Surrey is committed to making Surrey the City of Champions by delivering: safe streets, fast commutes, smart investments, lower costs, and strong services.
Council candidates: Yousef Aldabainah-Barakat, Chandan Chahal, Perminder Chohan, Narima Dela Cruz, Ashiyana Hanif, William Li, Dr. Margaret Mubanda, and Kevin Wilkie.
Contact
Trevor Loke, Campaign Manager
604-838-5178
[email protected] / [email protected]