It’s officially Election Day in B.C.’s 2024 provincial election; the 43rd time British Columbians have gone to the polls to elect a provincial government.
After a record-breaking turnout during advanced voting, BC Votes 2024 is likely going to be one for the history books. This year has also seen a change to the boundaries in many ridings, as well as the addition of six new ridings, taking the number of seats up for grabs to 93 from 87.
Roughly 1,001,331 people cast their ballot during the six days of advanced voting that ended on Wednesday, Oct. 16, compared to 671,231 advance votes in the 2020 snap election, held during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The total number of vote-by-mail ballots has not been released by Elections BC. In 2020, 478,900 returned vote-by-mail packages by the deadline, roughly 66 per cent of the vote-by-mail packages that were requested.
For this year's election, B.C. has moved to electronic voting tabulation, in an effort to streamline voting and results. However, in close races, ballots will be recounted by hand.
The final counting of votes is set for Oct. 26–28.
If you haven't already voted, there is still time. Here’s what you need to know.
Changes to riding boundaries mean that Ashcroft, Cache Creek, Clinton, Walhachin, Savona, Cherry Creek, and Tobiano residents will be voting in the Cariboo-Chilcotin riding. Residents of Venables Valley, Logan Lake, Spences Bridge, and Lytton will be voting in the Fraser-Nicola riding.
All voting places will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Pacific time) and will be wheelchair accessible. This year, voters are able to cast their ballot at any voting location.
Voting locations (Cariboo-Chilcotin)
Ashcroft: Ashcroft Community Hall, 409 Bancroft Street
Cache Creek: Cache Creek Community Hall, 1270 Stage Road
Bonaparte: Bonaparte First Nation Band Office, 2689A Sage Hill Road
Clinton: Clinton Memorial Hall, 306 Lebourdais Avenue
70 Mile: 70 Mile Community Hall, 2585 North Bonaparte Road
Walhachin: Soldiers Memorial Hall, 4359 Cebtral Avenue
Skeetchestn: Skeetchestn Band Admin Building, 330 Main Drive, Deadman's Valley
Savona: Savona Seniors' Centre, 6605 Savona Access Road
Tobiano: Tobiano Golf Course, 38 Holloway Drive
Voting places (Fraser-Nicola)
Logan Lake: Logan Lake Fire Hall, 120 Chartrand Place
Spences Bridge: Spences Bridge Community Hall, 3641 Highway 8
Lytton: Parish Hall, 140 7th Street
Lytton First Nation: Battlefield Community Centre, Battlefield Road
Candidates
There are two candidates running in the Cariboo-Chilcotin riding:
Lorne Doerkson (Conservative Party of B.C.)
Michael Moses (B.C. NDP Party)
There are three candidates running in the Fraser-Nicola riding:
Tony Luck (Conservative Party of B.C.)
Jonah Timms (B.C. Green Party)
How to vote
If you received a voter registration card in the mail, bring it with you on voting day. If you did not receive a card, you can register to vote on Oct. 19.
Regardless of whether you have a card or not, you must be able to show one of the following pieces of identification at the polling station:
- A B.C. driver’s licence
- A B.C. Identification Card
- A B.C. Services Card (with photo)
- A Certificate of Indian Status
- Another card issued by the B.C. or Canadian government that shows your name, photo and address
If you do not have one of the above, you can show two pieces of ID or documents, both of which must show your name. At least one must have your current address. Examples include a birth certificate, a Social Insurance Number card, a passport, a B.C. CareCard, a citizenship certificate, or an Old Age Secutiry Identification card.
For a full list of acceptable ID or documents, and more information about voting day, go to https://elections.bc.ca/.
