Today was the last day to vote in the B.C. election.
In Langford-Juan de Fuca, Gord Baird (Green), Kelly Darwin (Liberal), John Horgan (NDP), and Tyson Riel Strandlund (Communist) are vying for your vote. Learn more about these candidates here.
It’s election night and I’m covering the Langford-Juan de Fuca riding. Stayed tuned for coverage throughout the day and into the night! #yyj #yyjpoli #bcpoli #BCvotes2020 #BCvotes @GoldstreamNews @SookeNews pic.twitter.com/bwM1txqYCz
— kendra crighton (@kendracrighton) October 24, 2020
Darwin’s main focus while campaigning was bringing attention to the lack of supports for small businesses. Sticking mostly to online campaigning, Darwin hosted a number of Facebook lives and said it was a fantastic way to connect with voters during the pandemic.
Looking back, Darwin said his only regret was not having more signs.
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@KellyInLangford says his main while campaigning was to highlight the lack of support for small businesses and bring awareness to mental health. @GoldstreamNews @SookeNews pic.twitter.com/vR5glUOsi5
— kendra crighton (@kendracrighton) October 24, 2020
“We were still getting requests for signs up to two days ago, and we had them all out, so I guess an overwhelming support was the biggest surprise when it came to the signage,” said Darwin.
Baird said his biggest surprise was the number of NDP supporters who called him and asked him to run.
“There’s a lot of NDP supporters that are still upset about the Site C decision from the last election. And there has been a lot of unhappiness about the nature of this election call,” he said, adding that a snap election left only those in a privileged position able to run.
Baird added that he “loved” the added challenge of running in the same riding as NDP candidate John Horgan.
“Knowing that John is probably one of the hardest people to run against in the province because he’s popular – It didn’t scare me in the slightest. And, as a matter of fact, I’m quite thrilled to go head to head with John because I know I have more authenticity than he does.”
And I will leave you with @GordBaird_LJDF message to @jjhorgan #yyjpoli #bcpoli #BCvotes2020 @GoldstreamNews @SookeNews pic.twitter.com/p3UWaRV2fc
— kendra crighton (@kendracrighton) October 25, 2020
Strandlund said that while he wasn’t expecting to win a seat in this election, he hopes the Communist party can impact change within the political system.
“Bourgeois parliamentary democracy has very narrow limitations, and social change needs to come from actions on the streets, and in the schools, with unions and Indigenous peoples and a broad alliance of working-class forces,” he said.
Here's what Communist candidate @StrandlundTyson had to say ahead of this evening. pic.twitter.com/dj5G51vAKm
— kendra crighton (@kendracrighton) October 25, 2020
Strandlund, who has run three elections previously, said he’d “see what happens” in the future but will most likely run again no matter Saturday nights results.
Early voting for the 2020 provincial election has broken records, according to data released by Elections BC Thursday (Oct. 22).
Only about 1.5 hours left to vote! Get out and do your civic duty. Here is District Electoral Officer Cynthia Vance explaining what happens when polls close tonight. @GoldstreamNews @SookeNews pic.twitter.com/PNn9bgrxQJ
— kendra crighton (@kendracrighton) October 25, 2020
The agency said 681,055 people cast their ballot during seven days of advanced voting that ended Wednesday, compared to 614,389 in 2017. In 2013, there were 366,558 people who voted in advance and 290,220 in 2009, with fewer yet in earlier elections. In Langford-Juan de Fuca 10,534 people took advantage of advance voting for the 2020 election.
READ MORE: Polling stations see steady stream of voters for B.C. Election Day, no long lines
Due to the pandemic, more British Columbians have decided to vote by mail-in ballot than ever before. Election results won’t be finalized until after Nov. 6, when those mail-in ballots are counted. An estimated 12,120 mail-in ballots were requested by Elections BC within the Langford-Juan de Fuca riding. There are 47,552 registered voters in the riding.
Across B.C., a total 724, 279 mail-in ballots were returned to Elections BC, as of Friday, Oct. 23.
There are roughly 3.5 million registered voters in the province.
Voter information cards sent by mail will provide the location of assigned polling stations in your community. If you did not receive a card, you can still vote, find your assigned polling station online at elections.bc.ca by using your postal code.
READ MORE: B.C. votes 2020
Black Press Media will be with you election day, bringing you live coverage of our local candidates as the poll results come in. Find coverage of the other Greater Victoria ridings by clicking the link below.
Seven ridings encompass Greater Victoria with a grand total of 27 candidates vying for your vote.
In Saanich North and the Islands, Zeb King, Adam Olsen, and Stephen Roberts are vying for your vote. Learn more about these candidates here.
In Saanich South, Kate O’Connor, Lana Popham and Rishi Sharma are on the ballot. Find the latest on Saanich South here.
In the Oak Bay-Gordon Head riding, Florian Castle, Nicole Duncan, Roxanne Helme, and Murray Rankin are vying for your vote. Find the latest on Oak Bay-Gordon Head here.
In Victoria-Swan Lake, Rob Fleming, Annemieke Holthuis, David Somerville, Walt Parsons, and Jenn Smith round out the ballot. Find the latest on Victoria-Swan Lake here.
Karen Bill, Grace Lore, Jenn Neilson, and Jordan Reichert are running in Victoria-Beacon Hill. Find the latest on Victoria-Beacon Hill here.
In the Esquimalt-Metchosin riding – which also includes Colwood – Mitzi Dean, Andy MacKinnon, Desta McPherson, and RJ Senko are facing off. Find the latest on Esquimalt-Metchosin here.
For more election coverage, go to vicnews.com/tag/bc-votes-2020.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Due to the ongoing pandemic, Elections BC estimates that roughly 35 per cent of voters used mail-in ballots, which will be counted beginning on Nov. 6. This means that tonight’s election results may change.
ALSO READ: Here’s what you need to know to vote
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