Last day to vote in advance in BC’s provincial election

LANGLEY, B.C. –

Wednesday is the last day of early voting in B.C.’s provincial election.

Polling stations close at 8 p.m. after a record number of votes were cast in recent days.

Elections BC said the turnout is not surprising as advance voting has become increasingly popular over the past few elections.

“October. 10 was the highest early voting day turnout we’ve seen in BC elections, with 171,000 votes cast that day. And on October 11, we broke another record with 155,000 cast,” said Andrew Watson, spokesperson for Elections BC.

Nearly 600,000 votes were cast across the province in the first four days of the preliminary election. The five rides with the highest attendance all took place on Vancouver Island.

Some political scientists suspect that a shift in campaign tactics is contributing to turnout.

“Especially for the two main parties, I think they’re both a little bit afraid of each other and I think this is a way to attract more people,” said Dan Reeve, a professor of political science at Camosun College.

During the last election, held during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, fewer than 54 percent of registered voters cast their ballots.

There are more than 300 advance voting locations in the province, open Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Saturday, October 19 is BC’s actual election day and the last opportunity for voters to cast their votes.

With files from CTV Vancouver Island’s Anna McMilian

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