British Columbians who have already made up their minds in the provincial election will be able to cast their ballots in-person, starting today.
Advance voting runs from Oct. 15 to Oct. 21, with election day on Oct. 24.
Here’s what you need to know before you vote:
Advance polling locations:
Advance voting places will be available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time on the days they are open.
Nanaimo
Alliance Church, 1609 Meredith Rd.
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 256, 1630 E. Wellington Rd.
Fairview Elementary School, 205 Howard Ave.
Beban Park Social Centre, 2300 Bowen Rd.
Departure Bay Baptist Church, 3510 Departure Bay Rd.
Rutherford Elementary School, 2840 Hammond Bay Rd.
Nanaimo-North Cowichan
Salvation Army, 505 Eighth St.
Cranberry Community Hall, 1555 Morden Rd.
Gabriola Island Community Centre, 2200 South Rd.
Parksville-Qualicum
Nanaimo North Town Centre, 158-4750 Rutherford Rd.
Candidates running in the ridings:
Nanaimo
Kathleen Jones, B.C. Liberal Party
Sheila Malcolmson, B.C. NDP
Lia Versaevel, B.C. Green Party
B.C. VOTES 2020: #Nanaimo candidates https://t.co/yRUPhZOmLB
— Nanaimo Bulletin (@NanaimoBulletin) October 14, 2020
Nanaimo-North Cowichan
Chris Istace, B.C. Greens
Duck (Don) Paterson, B.C. Liberals
Doug Routley, B.C. NDP
B.C. VOTES 2020: #Nanaimo-North Cowichan candidates https://t.co/8P3wfyI6s8
— Nanaimo Bulletin (@NanaimoBulletin) October 14, 2020
Parksville-Qualicum
Rob Lyon, B.C. Greens
Don Purdey, Conservatives
John St. John, Independent
Michelle Stilwell, B.C. Liberals
Adam Walker, B.C. NDP
B.C. VOTES 2020: Parksville-Qualicum candidates https://t.co/5JlNoSMlee
— Nanaimo Bulletin (@NanaimoBulletin) October 14, 2020
Voter registration:
While eligible voters don’t have to register ahead of time to take part in the election, Elections B.C. recommends British Columbians sign up ahead of time in order to avoid lengthy lineups.
Voters can register or update their information online at elections.bc.ca/ovr or by calling 1-800-661-8683. Registration closed on Sept. 26.
To be eligible, British Columbians must be able to show one of the following pieces of identification:
- A B.C. driver’s licence
- A B.C. Identification Card
- A B.C. Services Card, with photo
- A Certificate of Indian Status
- Another card issued by the B.C. government, or Canada, that shows your name, photo and address
Health rules for voting during COVID-19:
All voting places and district electoral offices will have protective measures in place, including:
- Physical distancing
- Capacity limits
- Election officials wearing personal protective equipment (such as masks and face-visors)
- Protective barriers
- Hand sanitizing stations
- Frequent cleaning of voting stations and frequently touched surfaces
- Election workers trained on safe workplace guidelines and pandemic protocols
– with files from Ashley Wadhwani