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 ballots 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 for the Cowichan Valley riding:
Voting places will be available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time.
Bench Elementary School, 1501 Cowichan Bay Rd., Cowichan Bay
Cobble Hill Farmers’ Institute Hall, 3550 Watson Ave., Cobble Hill
Cowichan Community Centre, 2687 James St., North Cowichan
Eagles Hall, 2965 Boys Rd., Duncan
École Mount Prevost Elementary School, 6177 Somenos Rd., North Cowichan
George Bonner Elementary School, 3060 Cobble Hill Rd., Mill Bay
Honeymoon Bay Community Hall, 10022 Park Dr., Honeymoon Bay
Lake Cowichan Centennial Hall, 309 South Shore Rd., Lake Cowichan
Maple Bay Elementary School, 1500 Donnay Dr., North Cowichan
Shawnigan Lake Community Centre, 2804 Shawnigan Lake Rd., Shawnigan Lake
Youbou Community hall, 8550 Hemlock St., Youbou
Polling locations for the Nanaimo-North Cowichan riding:
Voting places will be available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time.
Aggie Hall-Royal Canadian Air Cadets, 1110 1st Ave., Ladysmith
Bayview Elementary School, 140 View St., Nanaimo
Cedar Community Hall, 2388, Cedar Rd., Ladysmith
Chase River Elementary School, 1503 Cranberry Ave., Nanaimo
Cowichan Exhibition, 7380 Trans-Canada Hwy., North Cowichan
Cranberry Community Hall, 1555 Morden Rd., South Wellington
Crofton Community Centre, 8104 Musgrave St., North Cowichan
Gabriola Island Community Centre, 2200 South Rd., Gabriola Island
Georgia Avenue Elementary School, 625 Georgia Ave.
North Oyster Elementary School, 13470 Cedar Rd., Ladysmith
Penelakut Band Office, 11330 Clam Bay Rd. N, Penelakut Island
Royal Canadian Legion 191, 9775 Chemainus Rd., North Cowichan
S’tzuminus First Nation Community Centre, 3949 Shell Beach Rd., Ladysmith
Salvation Arm, 505 Eighth St., Nanaimo
Thetis Island Fire Hall, 296 Mission Rd., Thetis Island
Candidates running in the Cowichan Valley riding:
Sonia Furstenau, Green
Rob Douglas, NDP
Tanya Kaul, Liberal
Candidates running in the riding:
Doug Routley, NDP
Duck Paterson, Liberal
Chris Istace, Green
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
