FAQs

When are the Elections?

General Voting Day is Saturday, October 15, 2022
Voting places are open from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm local time on general voting day.

Advance Voting Days – Oct. 3, 5, 8, 11 and 12 (Advance Voting will occur at the Innovation Centre, Centennial Pavilion, and Victoria Hall)

Do I need to register as a voter?

Voting day registration only
A local government may opt to use same-day voter registration rather than the Provincial Voters List or a similar register of electors compiled by the local government.

To register on voting day, eligible resident electors are required to show two pieces of identification (the BC Services Card when combined with a Driver’s License is considered one piece of identification), the identification must prove who they are and where they live — including the person’s name and residential address. If neither piece of identification shows the elector’s residential address, they may make a solemn declaration as to their place of residence.

Provincial voters list
A local government may, by bylaw, use the most current available Provincial Voters List prepared by Elections BC rather than maintaining its own register of resident electors (aka Voters List). If so, resident electors whose names appear on the Provincial Voters List are automatically registered and are not required to show identification in order to receive a ballot and vote in local elections.

Electors can register in advance on the Provincial Voters List up until 52 days before general voting day.

A person whose name does not appear on the Provincial Voters List will be required to show two pieces of identification, the identification must prove who they are and where they live — including the person’s name and residential address. One of the pieces of identification must also include the person’s signature such as a Driver’s Licence or BC Services Card (the BC Services Card when combined with a Driver’s Licence is considered one piece of identification). If neither piece of identification shows the elector’s residential address, they may make a solemn declaration as to their place of residence.

The names of non-resident property electors are not recorded on the Provincial Voters List. Where a local government uses the Provincial Voters List, non-resident property electors need to register at the time of voting and show two pieces of identification, as well as the title of the property in relation to which they are voting.

Am I eligible to vote?

In order to be eligible to vote in general local elections as a resident or non-resident property elector, a person must:

  • Be 18 years of age or older when they register to vote, or 18 years or older on general voting day
  • Be a Canadian citizen
  • Have been a resident of B. C. for at least six months immediately before they register to vote
  • Not be disqualified under the Local Government Act, or any other enactment from voting in local elections or be otherwise disqualified by law

Voting rights are granted to citizens based on residency or property ownership. There is no corporate or business vote in local elections.

Eligible electors who live on a First Nation reserve can vote. Where that person votes depends on whether the reserve is located within a municipality or regional district jurisdiction.

I am a student living away from home. Am I eligible to vote?

Students who live in one jurisdiction and attend an educational institution in a jurisdiction different from their usual place of residence may vote only once–either in the jurisdiction where they attend school or in the jurisdiction that is their usual place of residence.

Who is Ineligible to vote?

Resident electors and non-resident property electors are not eligible to vote in a local election if they: