It’s officially Election Day in B.C.’s 2020 provincial snap election.
First called in September by B.C. NDP Leader John Horgan, BC Votes 2020 is likely going to be one for the history books, already seeing a number of records broken when it comes to voter turnout.
Roughly 681,000 people cast their ballot during the seven days of advanced voting that ended Wednesday, compared to 614,389 in 2017.
Meanwhile, 478,900 returned vote-by-mail packages had been received by Elections BC by Oct. 22, representing 66 per cent of the packages requested.
It is expected that some ridings will see preliminary results as to which candidate will likely take a seat in the B.C. Legislature by the end of day Saturday. Meanwhile, close races will have to wait until mid-November for the winner to be declared, once mail-in ballots are counted by Elections BC officials after Nov. 6.
Haven’t voted? There’s still time. Here’s what you need to know:
Polling locations:
Advance voting places will be available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time on the days they are open.
District Electoral Office - 202-1658 Commerce Avenue
Four Points Sheraton - 5505 Airport Way
Winfield Memorial Hall - 10130 Bottom Wood Lake Road
Dr. Knox Middle School - 121 Drysdale Boulevard
Mountainview Church - 271 Snowsell Street
Watson Road Elementary - 475 Yates Road
Winfield United Church - 3751 Woodsdale Road
Rutland Centennial Hall - 180 Rutland Road North
Kelowna Christian Centre - 905 Badke Road
Okanagan Centre Community Hall - 11099 Maddock Avenue
Best Western Plus - 2402 97 Highway North
Oyama Community Hall - 15710 Oyama Road
Candidates running in the riding:
Silverado Socrates - Independent
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