British Columbians head to the polls
CBC News | Posted: October 19, 2024 11:00 AM | Last Updated: October 19
Voting will close at 8 p.m. Pacific time
Polls in B.C.'s general election are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Pacific time on Saturday, Oct. 19.
British Columbians will be electing the next government in what has been a tight race between the B.C. NDP, led by David Eby and the Conservative Party of B.C., led by John Rustad.
Both parties have candidates in each of British Columbia's 93 ridings, while the B.C. Green Party, led by Sonia Furstenau, has 69 candidates in total.
There are also a record 40 Independents on ballots across the province, including six incumbent MLAs.
The opening hours of some polling stations were affected by power outages related to the atmospheric river pummeling parts of the province with heavy rain and wind. The most up-to-date information on polling station availability is on the Elections B.C. website.
The opening hours of some polling stations were affected by power outages related to the atmospheric river pummeling parts of the province with heavy rain and wind. The most up-to-date information on polling station availability is on the Elections B.C. website.
Elections B.C. expects results to be returned quickly as it has adopted the use of laptops instead of paper lists for voting.
A record 1,001,331 took part in advance voting, representing more than 28 per cent of all registered electors.
Catch up on the campaign
WATCH | Breaking down the B.C. election:
For a quick comparison of where the parties stand on key issues, you can visit our party platform comparison:
You can also find a list of key stories and analyses by topic, including health care, climate change and public safety:
Still not enough? You can find all of our election stories here.
LISTEN | The B.C. election campaign so far:
How to vote
You can vote if you are a Canadian citizen who is 18 or older as of Oct. 19, 2024 and have been a resident of B.C. since April 18, 2024.
You can find out where to vote using Elections B.C.'s Where to Vote app and website at wheretovote.elections.bc.ca.
In order to vote, you will need to prove your identity and address using ID or other documentation or, if that is not an option, have someone with identification formally vouch for you. Information on how to do so and valid identification can be found on the Elections B.C. website.
If you are uncertain of your riding, you can find it by entering your address here. A list of registered candidates in each riding can be found here.
Get the results live
On election night, Oct. 19, join CBC hosts from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. to watch and listen to BC Votes 2024 — a special evening of election programming featuring guest interviews and in-depth expert analysis on all CBC B.C. platforms.
Online: Stream on CBC News BC, CBC Gem and cbc.ca/bc as well as on TikTok and YouTube.
TV: Live on CBC Television (check your TV service provider for channel).
Listen: Starting at 8 p.m. on CBC Radio One or listen online.
TV: Live on CBC Television (check your TV service provider for channel).
Listen: Starting at 8 p.m. on CBC Radio One or listen online.