With many BC residents turning to the mail-in option this election, voter turnout saw the lowest numbers in almost a century.

Just over 52% of registered voters have cast their ballot in the snap election, down just under 10% from the previous provincial election in 2017.

Since 1928, the previous low was around 55%.

Elections BC bases the estimate on the following:

  • the number of voters who voted during advance voting, in their electoral district
  • the number of voters who voted on Election Day, at their assigned voting place
  • an estimate of the number of certification envelopes containing absentee ballots, to be considered at final count
  • an estimate of the number of completed vote-by-mail packages containing mail-in ballots, to be considered at final count.

670,324 registered voters cast their ballot in BC in advance polls, while on Saturday, 546,877 people voted at their assigned locations.

An estimated 85,000 certification envelopes containing absentee ballots will be considered for final count. These ballots were cast at absentee voting opportunities during advance voting, on Election Day, and throughout the campaign period (at voting opportunities such as voting at a district electoral office or a special voting opportunity).

By Election Day on Saturday, Elections BC had received approximately 525,000 mail-in ballots, though this figure does not include mail-in ballots returned by voters in person to voting places or district electoral offices before the deadline of 8pm on Oct. 24. The preliminary estimate of voter turnout will likely increase when mail-in ballots dropped off in person are accounted for.

Elections BC will update its estimate of the number of mail-in ballots when a more accurate count is available.

Provincially, Premier John Horgan’s bet seems to have paid off in calling a snap election: though not all votes have yet been processed, the NDPs are currently slated to steal 12 seats from the Liberals as of Monday morning, with 55 in total.

Locally, it appears that incumbent Liberal Jackie Tegart will keep her seat, with all ridings counted other than the remainder of mail-in ballots. Tegart currently sits just under 400 votes above the NDP’s Aaron Sumexheltza.