More than 890,000 British Columbians cast ballots over the six days of advance voting in this year’s snap election, according to figures published Thursday by Elections B.C. That’s a decline from the 2024 provincial election, when 953,025 ballots were cast in advance. The preliminary total for this year’s advance voting turnout is 891,348, according to Elections B.C. data. The difference of 61,677 votes works out to a roughly 6.5 per cent decrease from 2024’s total. Saturday, Oct. 17, was the busiest advance voting day this time around, with 201,774 early ballots cast. That date was also general voting day in this year’s municipal elections, an overlap NDP Leader David Eby was sharply criticized for when he called the early provincial vote less than two years into his previous mandate. The final day of advance voting—Wednesday, Oct. 21—saw the next-highest turnout, with 178,956 votes cast. Sunday, Oct. 18, had the lightest returns, with 105,049 people voting that day. The ridings with the highest advance voting totals were Saanich North and the Islands, where 17,051 votes were cast, and Ladysmith–Oceanside, where 17,436 people voted. No other riding in B.C. saw more than 16,000 advance votes. Saanich North is notable as the district where Green Party Leader Emily Lowan is seeking a seat in the legislature for the first time. With 3,738,182 registered voters in the province as of Oct. 14, according to Elections B.C., the proportion who voted in advance this year works out to roughly 23.8 per cent. In 2024, in-person advance voting accounted for a larger proportion of overall votes cast than regular election day voting.
