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:
Advance voting places will be available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time on the days they are open.
District Electoral Office - 102B-1979 Old Okanagan Highway
Sunridge Community Church - 1190 Steves Road
Constable Neil Bruce Middle School - 2010 Daimler Drive
Chief Tomat Elementary - 3365 East Boundary Road
Lakeview Heights Baptist Church - 2630 Hebert Road
Powers Creek Community Church - 3718 Glenway Road
Rose Valley Elementary - 1680 Westlake Road
Kelowna Canadian Italian Club - 770 Lawrence Avenue
Kelowna Senior Citizens Association - 1353 Richter Street
First Mennonite Church - 1305 Gordon Drive
First Baptist Church - 1309 Bernard Avenue
Grace Baptist Church - 1150 Glenmore Drive
Killiney Beach Community Hall - 516 Udell Road
Candidates running in the riding:
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