It’s officially Election Day in B.C.’s 2020 provincial snap election, and the polls have now opened.
Called on Sept. 21 by B.C. NDP Leader John Horgan, BC Votes 2020 is likely going to be one for the history books. There have already been 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 on Oct. 21, 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. In the 2017 provincial election, only 6,500 mail0in votes were received.
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.
Voting locations are all open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. today. In Fraser-Nicola, voting locations include:
Ashcroft: Ashcroft HUB
Cache Creek: Community Hall
Clinton: Memorial Hall
Spences Bridge: Clemes Hall
Walhachin: Soldiers Memorial Hall
Loon Lake: Community Hall
Lytton: Lytton First Nation Memorial Hall
For a complete list of voting places and dates throughout Fraser-Nicola and around the province, go to https://bit.ly/2SLe962.
Candidates running in Fraser-Nicola:
Jackie TEGART, BC Liberal Party
What you need to bring:
Voters should bring their “Where to Vote” card, which they should have received in the mail, as well as one piece of valid ID that shows your name and address (street address, not just P.O. Box) or two pieces of other ID. For a list of accepted pieces of ID, go to https://bit.ly/3nBkwap.
Voters can bring their own pen or pencil to mark their ballot, if they wish. The wearing of masks inside the polling station is encouraged, but not mandatory.
Valid pieces of ID include:
- 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 protocol
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