British Columbians who have already made up their minds in the provincial election will be able to cast their ballots in-person, starting today.
Advance voting runs from Oct. 15 to Oct. 21, with Election Day on Oct. 24.
Elections BC had received roughly 670,000 vote-by-mail package requests as of Oct. 14. There are 3.48 million registered voters in B.C.
READ MORE: Here’s how voting amid a pandemic will happen in B.C.
Here’s what you need to know before you vote:
Advance polling locations in Hope and the Fraser Canyon:
Advance voting places will be available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time on the days they are open.
Royal Canadian Legion (344 Fort St., Hope)
Canyon Lanes Bowling Alley (47585 Trans-Canada Highway, Boston Bar) *Only open Oct. 15, 16 for advance voting and on general election day Oct. 24.
Lytton First Nation Memorial Hall (918 Main St., Lytton) *Only open Oct. 19, 20 for advance voting and on general election day Oct. 24.
For more advanced voting locations, see this Election BC map.
Candidates running in the riding:
Dennis Adamson (independent)
Mike Bhangu (independent)
Jackie Tegart (BC Liberal Party)
Jonah Timms (BC Green Party)
Aaron Sumexheltza (BC NDP)
Voter registration:
While eligible voters don’t have to register ahead of time to take part in the election, Elections BC recommends British Columbians sign up ahead of time in order to avoid lengthy lineups.
Voters can register or update their information online at elections.bc.ca/ovr or by calling 1-800-661-8683. Registration closed on Sept. 26.
To be eligible, British Columbians must be able to show one of the following pieces of identification:
- 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. government, or Canada, that shows your name, photo and address
Health rules for voting during COVID-19:
All voting places and district electoral offices will have protective measures in place, including:
- Physical distancing
- Capacity limits
- Election officials wearing personal protective equipment (such as masks and face-visors)
- Protective barriers
- Hand sanitizing stations
- Frequent cleaning of voting stations and frequently touched surfaces
- Election workers trained on safe workplace guidelines and pandemic protocols
– with files from Ashley Wadhwani