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:
Parksville-Qualicum
• Christian Fellowship Centre, 825 Village Way Qualicum Beach; Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 15-17; Monday-Wednesday, Oct 19-21.
• Nanaimo North Town Centre, 158-4750 Rutherford Rd.Nanaimo; Thursday-Wednesday Oct 15-21.
• Parksville Community and Conference Centre, 132 Jensen Ave E, Parksville, Thursday-Wednesday, Oct. 15-21.
Candidates running in the riding:
Parksville-Qualicum candidate Rob Lyon, B.C. Green Party
Parksville-Qualicum candidate Don Purdey, B.C. Conservative Party
Parksville-Qualicum candidate John St John, Independent
Parksville-Qualicum candidate Michelle Stilwell, B.C. Liberal Party
Parksville-Qualicum candidate Adam Walker, B.C. NDP
Mid-Island-Pacific Rim
• Bradley Centre 975 Shearme Rd., Coombs, Sunday-Tuesday, Oct. 18-20.
• Cumberland Senior Citizens Centre, 2674 Dunsmuir Ave., Cumberland, Friday-Sunday, Oct. 16-18.
• Lighthouse Community Centre, 240 Lions Way, Bowser, Saturday-Monday, Oct. 17-19.
• Tofino Community Hall, 351 Arnet Rd., Tofino, Friday-Saturday, Oct. 16-17.
• Ucluelet Community Hall, 500 Matterson Dr., Ucluelet, Sunday-Monday, Oct. 18-19.
Candidates running in the riding:
Mid Island Pacific Rim candidate Rob Clarke, B.C. Libertarian Party
Mid Island Pacific Rim candidate Graham Hughes, Independent
Mid Island-Pacific Rim candidate Evan Jolicoeur, B.C. Green Party
Mid Island-Pacific Rim candidate Josie Osborne, B.C. NDP
Mid Island-Pacific Rim candidate Helen Poon, B.C. Liberal Party
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
