Election day has arrived in British Columbia. Voting is under way across the province today, October 17, with residents choosing local representatives on councils, school boards and regional bodies from some 3,500 candidates, The Canadian Press reported.
In Vancouver, polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Pacific at 85 voting places, and voters can use any of them. The ballot elects a mayor, 10 city councillors, seven Park Board commissioners and nine school trustees, and asks three Capital Plan borrowing questions and two plebiscite questions on public safety. Mail ballots must be received by 8 p.m. tonight.
Turnout is the early story. Vancouver announced record-high advance voting: 21,824 ballots in the first 12 hours of the October 3 advance day, and more than 103,000 ballots before today — a 60 per cent increase from 2022. Richmond was up 141 per cent, New Westminster 121 per cent, Victoria 101 per cent and Abbotsford 93 per cent.
The local vote is running inside a second, overlapping campaign: advance voting in B.C.'s snap provincial general election, called by Premier David Eby two years early, continues until October 21 ahead of final voting day on October 24. The Union of B.C. Municipalities had urged Eby not to call the provincial vote during the local campaign, warning of voter confusion.
Counting in Vancouver starts when polls close at 8 p.m., with unofficial results expected on election night. New councils and school boards take office in early November and serve until October 2030.
