It’s officially Election Day in B.C.’s 2020 provincial snap election.
First called in September by B.C. NDP Leader John Horgan, BC Votes 2020 is likely going to be one for the history books, already seeing a number of records broken when it comes to voter turnout.
Roughly 681,000 people cast their ballot during the seven days of advanced voting that ended Wednesday, compared to 614,389 in 2017.
Meanwhile, 478,900 returned vote-by-mail packages had been received by Elections BC by Oct. 22, representing 66 per cent of the packages requested.
It is expected that some ridings will see preliminary results as to which candidate will likely take a seat in the B.C. Legislature by the end of day Saturday. Meanwhile, close races will have to wait until mid-November for the winner to be declared, once mail-in ballots are counted by Elections BC officials after Nov. 6.
Haven’t voted? There’s still time. Here’s what you need to know:
Polling locations for Burns Lake and surrounding areas:
- Island Gospel Fellowship - 810 35 Hwy
- Decker Lake Elementary School - 6710 Decker Lake Frtg
- Grassy Plains Hall - 37267 Keefes Landing Rd
- Rose Lake Hall - Hwy 16, Topley, BC
- Topley Community Hall - 11591 Chester St
- Wistaria Hall - 36674 Ootsa-Nadina Rd
- Granisle Senior Comm Centre - 19 Chapman St
Candidates running in the Nechako Lakes riding:
This time’s provincial election will see five candidates running for the election from the Nechako Lakes riding.
- BC Liberal Party - John Rustad. The incumbent B.C. Liberal MLA will be running for the fifth time in the upcoming provincial elections.
- BC NDP - Ann Marie Sam. The NDP candidate will be running for the second time in the provincial elections.
- BC Libertarian Party - Jon Rempel. This is Rempel’s second run in the provincial elections; the first was in 2017.
- Independent - Margo Maley. Maley, who has always had a political ambition, will be running for the first time in the elections.
- Christian Heritage Party of B.C. - Dan Stuart. Stuart will be running for the first time in the provincial elections.
Voter registration:
While eligible voters don’t have to register ahead of time to take part in the election, Elections BC 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.
ALSO READ: BC Votes 2020
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