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.
Elections BC had received roughly 670,000 vote-by-mail package requests as of Oct. 14. There are 3.48 million registered voters in B.C.
READ MORE: Here’s how voting amid a pandemic will happen in B.C.
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.
Voting places for advanced voting are the Summerland Community Centre, 9710 Brown St.; Summerland United Church, 13204 Henry Ave.; Days Inn Penticton, 152 Riverside Dr., Penticton and Penticton Lakeside Resort Hotel, 21 W. Lakeshore Dr., Penticton.
Candidates running in the riding:
There are four candidates in the riding of Penticton. They are Dan Ashton of the B.C. Liberals, Toni Boot of the New Democratic Party, Keith MacIntyre of the B.C. Libertarian Party and Ted Shumaker of the B.C. Green Party.
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READ ALSO: MacIntyre acclaimed as Libertarian candidate for Penticton
READ ALSO: Shumaker to represent Green Party in riding of Penticton
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