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:
A.E. Perry Elementary School — 1380 Sherbrooke Ave, Kamloops, B.C.
Arthur Hatton Elementary School — 315 Chestnut Ave, Kamloops, B.C.
Arthur Stevenson Elementary School — 2890 Bank Rd, Kamloops, B.C.
Avola School House — 6366 Avola Village Rd, Avola, B.C.
Barriere Lions Club — 350 Borthwick Ave, Barriere, B.C.
Bert Edwards Elementary School — 711 Windsor Ave, Kamloops, B.C.
Blackpool Community Hall — 155 Ferry Rd, Clearwater, B.C.
Blue River Elementary School — 5917 3rd Ave, Blue River, B.C.
Darfield Community Hall — Highway 5, Darfield, B.C.
David Thompsoin Elementary School — 1051 Pine Springs Rd, Kamloops, B.C.
Dee’s General Store — 1537 Birch Island-Lost Creek, Clearwater, B.C.
Heffley Creek Community Hall — 6995 Old Highway 5, Kamloops, B.C.
Kamloops Christian School — 750 Cottonwood Ave, Kamloops, B.C.
Kay Bingham Elementary School — 950 Southill St, Kamloops, B.C.
Little Fort Community Hall — 9885 Institute St, Little Fort, B.C.
McLure Community Centre — 192 McLure Ferry Rd, McLure, B.C.
Moccasin Square Gardens — 200-355 Yellowhead Hwy, Kamloops, B.C.
North Shore Community Centre — 730 Cottonwood Ave, Kamloops, B.C.
Pinantan Elementary School — 2450 Hines Rd, Pinantan Lake, B.C.
Rayleigh Elementary School Gym — 306 Puettt Ranch Rd, Kamloops, B.C.
Royal Canadian Legion 259 — 3-257 Glen Rd, Clearwater, B.C.
The Grand Hall at Sun Peaks — 3240 Village Way, Sun Peaks, B.C.
Vavenby Community Hall — 82 Vavenby Bridge Rd, Vavenby, B.C.
Westmount Elentary School — 745 Walkem Rd, Kamloops, B.C.
Westsyde Elementary School — 3550 Westsyde Rd, Kamloops, B.C.
Whispering Pines Indian Band Office — 615 Whispering Pines Dr, McLure, B.C.
Aberdeen Elementary School — 2191 Van Horne Dr, Kamloops, B.C.
B.C. Wildlife Park — 9077 Dallas Dr, Kamloops, B.C.
Beattie Elementary School — 492 McGill Rd, Kamloops, B.C.
Chase Community Hall — 547 Shuswap Ave, Chase, B.C.
Dallas Elementary School — 296 Harper Rd, Kamloops, B.C.
Dufferin Elementary School —1880 Hillside Dr, Kamloops, B.C.
Juniper Ridge Elementary School — 2540 Quappelle Blvd, Kamloops, B.C.
Lloyd George Elementary School — 830 Pine St, Kamloops, B.C.
McGowan Park Elementary School — 2080 Tremerton Dr, Kamloops, B.C.
Pacific Way Elementary School — 2330 Pacific Way, Kamloops, B.C.
Pritchard Community Hall — 1714 Duck Range Rd, Pritchard, B.C.
Robert L. Clemitson Elementary School — 5990 Todd Rd, Kamloops, B.C.
Savona Seniors House — 6605 Savona Access Rd, Savona, B.C.
South Sa-Hali Elementary School — 1585 Summit Dr, Kamloops, B.C.
St. Paul’s Cathedral — 360 Nicola St, Kamloops, B.C.
Westwold Elementary School — 5408 97 Highway, Westwold, B.C.
Candidates running in the riding:
BC Liberal Party — Peter Milobar
BC Green Party — Thomas Martin
BC Conservative Party — Dennis Giesbrecht
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
