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People arrive for advance voting at Stelly's Secondary School in Saanichton, B.C., on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
By The Canadian Press

Advance voting in B.C. election is down compared to 2024

Oct 20, 2026 | 2:00 AM

The number of ballots cast in the first three days of advance voting in the British Columbia election is down about 8 per cent compared to 2024.

Elections BC says there were about 440,000 votes cast from Friday to Sunday, compared to almost 480,000 for the first three days of advance voting last election, which set a record for total advance turnout.

Early voting continues at hundreds of places across the province today and tomorrow until 8 p.m. ahead of final voting day on Saturday.

There were more than one million advance ballots cast in 2024, a surge of 49 per cent compared to the previous election, and a report by the chief electoral officer says the process has been steadily increasing in popularity for two decades.

The report says almost half of all votes in 2024 were cast in advance, compared to about 20 per cent as recently as 2013.

The ballots cast in advance so far for the current election represent about 12 per cent of all registered voters.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2026.

The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press