There are six candidates running for Surrey Mayor Candidates 2026. Surrey votes on Saturday, October 17, 2026, and on that ballot you’ll choose one mayor, eight city councillors, and 7 Surrey school trustees — all elected at-large, meaning every Surrey voter votes on every seat. Full candidate details are below, followed by the council slates, key dates, and everything you need to know about voting. Nominations in British Columbia don’t close until early September 2026, so the field isn’t final yet — this page is updated as each candidate files.
Who Is Running for Mayor of Surrey in 2026?
As of July 31, 2026, six candidates have declared for Surrey mayor in 2026, listed below alphabetically.
| Candidate | Affiliation | Background |
| Linda Annis | Surrey First | Sitting Surrey city councillor, first elected in 2018. Announced a campaign for mayor. |
| Brenda Locke | Surrey Connect (incumbent) | Mayor of Surrey since 2022, when she defeated then-mayor Doug McCallum by 973 votes. Former BC Liberal MLA and former Surrey councillor. Seeking a second term. |
| Doug McCallum | Safe Surrey Coalition | Mayor of Surrey for three terms from 1996 to 2002, and again from 2018 to 2022. |
| Honveer Singh Randhawa | Conservative Electors Association | Lawyer. Named the party’s mayoral candidate in March 2026. |
| Mike Starchuk | Imagine Surrey | Retired Surrey Firefighter/former Chief Fire Prevention Officer with 32 years of service, a former City of Surrey Councillor and former MLA for Cloverdale. Read Mike’s full bio → |
| Troy Van Vliet | SurreyNow | Surrey builder and business owner. Launched the SurreyNow elector organization on May 2, 2026, campaigning on “Safe Streets, Smart Growth, and Strong Families.” |
Nominations are still open for Surrey mayor candidates 2026. In BC, candidates file during a nomination period that closes in early September 2026 — until then, no candidate list anywhere is complete, including this one. This page reflects everyone who has publicly declared as of July 31, 2026, and we add each new name as it’s filed.
Surrey City Council Candidates 2026
Surrey elects eight councillors at-large. You may vote for up to eight names — and you don’t have to vote for a full slate. Many Surrey voters split their council votes across parties.
Imagine Surrey
Mayoral candidate: Mike Starchuk
A full slate of eight council candidates:
- Yousef Aldabainah — Settlement and employment services professional, formerly with OPTIONS Surrey and WorkBC. · Bio →
- Chandan Chahal — Small business owner and youth mentor with a background in public safety and Surrey Crime Prevention. · Bio →
- Perminder Chohan — Newton. President and CEO of Lifewise Financial Group and a 34-year Surrey resident. · Bio →
- Narima Dela Cruz — Founder of SPIDS, a two-decade community volunteer and former school PAC officer. · Bio →
- Ashiyana Hanif — Founder of Media Waves Live and a 40-year Surrey resident covering local issues since 1992. · Bio →
- William Li — Finance, international trade and investment professional; SFU business graduate. · Bio →
- Margaret Mubanda — Recipient of BC’s Medal of Good Citizenship; serves on the City’s Livability, Social Equity and Public Safety Committee. · Bio →
- Kevin Wilkie — Business development professional at Black & McDonald and a 30-year Surrey resident. · Bio →
Meet the Imagine Surrey Slate
Imagine Surrey is a slate led by mayoral candidate Mike Starchuk, made up of frontline workers and community advocates rather than career politicians, people who have shown up quietly for this city every day and are ready to lead it. The team’s core belief is that Surrey is a City of Champions, and that a city this fast-growing should feel like it: safe streets, fast commutes, and services that keep pace with the people who live here.
What we’re running on:
Safe Streets
Treat the extortion crisis as an emergency with a coordinated anti-extortion command, hundreds of new officers, and cameras. Plus a new firehall every year, mental health crisis teams, rapid street cleanup, and Vision Zero.
Fast Commutes
Three Bus Rapid Transit routes in our first term, the King George SkyTrain business case started now, and West Coast Express brought to Surrey. Plus synchronized signals, upgraded corridors, and 50 km of new sidewalks.
Smart Investments
Build a Waterfront District on the Fraser and rebrand Surrey as the City of Champions, with new venues and bids to host the world. Every dollar accountable: lobbyist registry, open contracts, and project scorecards.
Lower City & Home Costs
Cap property taxes at or below inflation with no service cuts, and lower recreation fees, senior fees, and utility bills. Plus a 180-day permit guarantee and half property taxes for affordable housing builds.
Strong Services – with no cuts to service!
Protect core services and run City Hall like a help desk that answers fast. Expand parks by 5% and greenways by 10%, with a signature Greenway Loop and a new Cloverdale pool.
Read Mike’s full bio → · Meet all nine candidates → · Read the full platform →
Surrey election 2026 key dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| September 1, 2026 | Nomination period opens |
| September 11, 2026 | Nomination period closes — the candidate field is final |
| September 11, 2026 | Candidate list certified; campaign period financing rules apply |
| October 7, 2026 | Advance voting day (statutory) |
| October 14, 2026 | Advance voting day (statutory) |
| October 10 and October 15, 2026 | Surrey’s additional advance voting days |
| Saturday, October 17, 2026 | General voting day, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. |
| Late October 2026 (exact date TBC) | Official results declared; new council sworn in early November |
How to Vote in Surrey, BC
Are you eligible?
To vote in the Surrey municipal election you must:
- Be 18 or older on general voting day (October 17, 2026)
- Be a Canadian citizen
- Have lived in British Columbia for at least six months immediately before you register or vote
- Be a resident of Surrey — or a non-resident property elector, if you own property in Surrey but live elsewhere (one vote per property, and only if no resident elector is registered there)
- Not be disqualified by law from voting
- You cannot vote in Surrey just because you work here or rent a business space here. Residency or property ownership is the test.
Registering to vote
Most Surrey residents are already registered through the provincial voters list maintained by Elections BC. You can check or update your registration at elections.bc.ca — do it early, because it’s the difference between a two-minute visit to the polls and a fifteen-minute one.
Please visit the Survey voters page, and enter your name and address to find out, within minutes, if you are registered to vote in Surrey. If you are not registered, please visit Elections BC and provide your name and address to be registered as ‘eligible to vote in Surrey’ (this confirmation could take up to 48 hours to receive).
If you’re not on the list, you can register at the voting place on the day you vote. Bring ID (see below) and you’ll be registered and vote in the same visit.
ID you need to bring
Plan on bringing two pieces of ID, at least one with your signature, that prove your identity and Surrey residency. A BC driver’s license or BC Services Card plus a piece of mail or a utility bill in your name at your Surrey address is the standard combination. If you can’t produce documents, there is a solemn-declaration process available at the voting place.
Where to vote
Surrey publishes its full list of voting places — usually schools, community centres, and recreation facilities across all six town centres — in September. On general voting day you can vote at any Surrey voting place, not just the one nearest your home. During advance voting, the number of locations is smaller.
Mail-in and accessible voting
Surrey offers mail ballots for voters who can’t attend in person. You must request one from the City; requests typically open once the candidate list is certified in September and close a few days before general voting day, so don’t leave it late. Voting places are wheelchair accessible, and curbside voting and voting assistance are available on request.
What’s on Your Ballot
Surrey voters mark three separate races on one ballot, all at-large:
Mayor — vote for 1. The mayor chairs council, sets meeting agendas alongside staff, represents Surrey at Metro Vancouver’s board and in negotiations with the province, and is the public face of the city. Critically, the mayor has one vote on council, the same as any councillor. A mayor without allies on council can accomplish very little — which is why slates matter in Surrey.
Councillors — vote for up to 8. Council passes the annual budget and sets your property tax rate, adopts zoning bylaws and the Official Community Plan, approves or rejects development applications, sets policing and fire budgets, and directs the City Manager. Nearly every decision that changes what your street looks like passes through a council vote. You can vote for fewer than eight, and you can vote across slates.
School trustees — vote for up to 6. The Surrey Board of Education governs School District 36, the largest district in BC with over 85,000 students. Trustees approve the district budget, set catchment boundaries, advocate to the province for new school construction, and hire the superintendent. They do not set curriculum — that’s provincial.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Surrey election 2026? Saturday, October 17, 2026, with voting from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Advance voting days are held earlier in October.
Who is running for Surrey mayor in 2026? Six candidates have declared. Linda Annis (Surrey First), Brenda Locke (Surrey Connect, incumbent), Doug McCallum (Safe Surrey Coalition), Honveer Singh Randhawa (Conservative Electors Association), Mike Starchuk (Imagine Surrey) and Troy Van Vliet (SurreyNow). Nominations don’t close until September 11, 2026, so the field isn’t final until then.
How many councillors does Surrey have? Eight, plus the mayor, for nine total council members. All are elected at-large, so every Surrey voter votes on all eight council seats.
Do I have to vote for a whole slate? No. You can vote for up to eight council candidates from any combination of parties and independents, or fewer than eight if you prefer.
Can I vote in Surrey if I rent? Yes. Renters who are Canadian citizens aged 18+, resident in BC for six months and living in Surrey, are eligible resident electors. Property ownership is not required.
Can I vote in Surrey if I own property but live elsewhere? Possibly — as a non-resident property elector, if you meet the citizenship, age, and BC-residency requirements and no resident elector is registered for that property. One vote per property. Confirm the process with the City.
What ID do I need to vote in Surrey? Two pieces of ID proving identity and Surrey residency, at least one bearing your signature. Check the City of Surrey’s election page for the current accepted-documents list.
Can I register to vote on election day? Yes. Bring acceptable ID to any Surrey voting place and you can register and vote in the same visit.
When was the last Surrey municipal election? October 15, 2022. BC holds general local elections every four years.