It’s election day in B.C. and polls are now open across the province for general voting.
Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. PT.
It has been an election campaign unlike any other, under the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s likely election night will be unlike any other.
Officials at Elections BC expected this to be the first vote in the province’s history where more people will vote before election day than on the day itself.
As of Friday afternoon, an estimated 478,900 vote-by-mail packages have been returned to Elections BC.
In advance voting, 681,055 people have already voted across the province.
This is compared to 614,389 who voted in advance polls in 2017.
This is the largest number of advance voters recorded since Elections B.C. began tracking the data in 1996.
For anyone voting on Saturday, Oct. 24, they are reminded to maintain physical distancing, use the hand sanitizer provided, bring their own mask, and even their own pen if they wish, and follow the markings on the floor directing people to stations and exits.
What you need to vote:
You can show one piece of the following ID:
- A B.C. driver’s licence
- A B.C. Identification Card (BCID)
- A B.C. Services Card (with photo)
- Another card issued by the government of B.C. or Canada that shows your name, photo and address
- A Certificate of Indian Status
- Any two pieces of ID or documents that both show your name. At least one must have your current address. Note that electronic documents (e.g. e-bills) and electronic scans of a paper document are acceptable. Handwritten information on a document is not acceptable.
Someone can also vote if they don’t have identification but their identity can be vouched for by another person. That person must be a registered voter or related to that person or someone with the authority to make personal care decisions for the voter.