Preparations are underway for the final count of ballots in the 2020 B.C. provincial election.
Just over 1,500 certification envelopes from people who requested mail-in ballots in Cariboo North have been received by Elections BC.
The district electoral officer, Wayne Rodier, said half the voters in the riding voted in either advance voting or by mail.
“[More early voting] could well be a feature of future elections,” he said. “There are more voting opportunities and people are taking advantage of them.”
B.C. Votes 2020: Cariboo North advance voting up in 2020
While nearly half the voters in the riding decided to not vote on Election Day, the voting stations were still active on Oct. 24.
“Overall, there were fewer voters who voted on Election Day, but station by station is still busy enough,” Rodier said.
It appears turnout in Cariboo North is down compared to years past. More than 12,000 people voted in 2017, around 60 per cent of people who are eligible.
The final count will include checking mail-in ballots, as well as other absentee votes. Rodier said he expected the final count to be finished on Nov. 7.
Rodier said the process of voting in Cariboo North went as expected.
“Elections BC has been doing this a long time, and it’s one of the best systems in the world,” he said. “The expectation was that it would go smoothly, and it did.”
Coralee Oakes, the incumbent B.C. Liberal Party candidate, is on track to represent the area for the third time. She has 1,500 more votes than her nearest competitor, the NDP’s Scott Elliott.
B.C. VOTES 2020: Coralee Oakes on track to reclaim Cariboo North seat
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