Record-Breaking 28 Percent Advance Voting Turnout for BC Election

(L-R) BC Conservative Party Leader John Rustad speaks during a press conference in Squamish, B.C., on Oct. 1, 2024; B.C. NDP Leader David Eby speaks during a campaign announcement at West Kootenay Regional Airport, in Castlegar, B.C., on Oct. 1, 2024; B.C. Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau speaks at a press conference at Swan's Pub in Victoria, on, Oct. 1, 2024. The Canadian Press/Tijana Martin, Darryl Dyck, Chad Hipolito

Advance voting numbers have hit a record high in British Columbia with 28 percent of the electorate already casting a ballot in the 2024 provincial election.

Elections B.C. says 1,001,331 people cast votes between Oct. 10 and 16, including 222,907 who voted on the final day.

The first day of advanced polling in the province saw 171,381 ballots cast by eligible voters. A total of 155,464 voted on Oct. 11 and 150,250 cast a ballot on Oct. 12. That number dropped to 119,660 on Oct. 13 but rose to 181,669 on Oct. 15.

The previous record was set in 2020, where 671,231 ballots were cast in advance voting polls, representing 19 percent of registered voters that year.

Several ridings have already had a turnout of more than 30 percent, including NDP leader David Eby’s riding of Vancouver-Point Grey, where 12,406 electors (36 percent) cast an early ballot.

In Conservative Party leader John Rustad’s riding of Nechako Lakes, 30 percent, or 5,399 people voted early.

In the riding of Victoria-Beacon Hill, where Green Party leader Sonia Fursteanu is running, 37 percent, amounting to 15,992 voters, participated in advanced polls.

Total voter turnout in 2020 was 53.9 percent, or 1,898,553 ballots cast.

“While this was 86,021 fewer than in the 2017 Provincial General Election when 1,986,374 voters cast a ballot, it was the second highest total ever for a provincial election in B.C.,” according to the Elections BC report for 2020.

Voter turnout for advanced polling in 2017 was 30.2 percent, according to the report. Total voter turnout for the 2017 election was more than 60 percent.

B.C.’s provincial election day is set for Oct. 19.

The latest survey from Leger shows the BC NDP in a four-point lead over the Conservatives, with 46 percent of voters saying they’ll cast a ballot for the NDP. The Conservatives have 42 percent support, while the Greens are at 9 percent, said the survey, released Oct. 18.

Support for the NDP in the metro Vancouver area has risen over the past three weeks, from 42 percent to 49 percent, according to the survey numbers.

The Conservatives have 49 percent of support outside of Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island, Leger said.

Voters 55 and older represent 49 percent of advance voters. This age group tends to support the NDP over the Conservatives (51 percent to 37 percent), according to the Leger poll.

Smaller numbers of younger votes have cast an early ballot, according to Leger. Thirty-three percent of those aged 35 to 54 and 23 percent of those aged 18 to 34 say they voted early.

Conservative support is higher among men aged 35 to 54, at 47 percent, according to Leger, The survey found that support for the Conservatives dropped between youth and women last week, but “recovered slightly” heading to election day.

The online survey was conducted from Oct. 14 to 15, with 1,017 B.C. residents participating.