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Oct 23, 2026 5:33 PM - Connect Newsroom - Ramandeep Kaur

Advance Voting in B.C. Snap Election Down 11% From 2024

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Advance voting in British Columbia’s snap election has declined by 11 per cent compared with the 2024 election.

According to Elections BC, a total of 891,348 voters cast their ballots during the six-day advance voting period, compared with 1.02 million in 2024. The decline marks a significant reversal from the previous election, when advance voting increased by 49 per cent compared with 2021.

This time, only about 23.8 per cent of registered voters cast their ballots in advance.

Experts and candidates believe the timing of the snap election, called by David Eby, may have caused confusion among voters because it coincided with municipal elections. This overlap is believed to have affected voter participation.

At the riding level, Saanich North and the Islands and Ladysmith–Oceanside recorded the highest advance voter turnout, with more than 17,000 ballots cast in each riding. No other riding in the province crossed the 16,000 mark.

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