Early voting in B.C. paused for Thanksgiving

Polling locations are closed Monday for the Thanksgiving holiday, but if advance voting numbers since Thursday have been any indication, British Columbians will be back in record numbers Tuesday.

Advance voting locations opened across B.C. on the morning of Oct. 10 and will reopen from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Tuesday and Wednesday.

In a post to social media Friday, Elections BC says more voters than ever turned up for the first day.

“171,381 voters voted on the first day of advance voting. This is the most votes ever on an advance voting day in a B.C. election, beating the previous record of 126,491 in 2017,” said the government agency.

On Friday, a reported 155,464 more ballots were cast. On Saturday: another 150,250.

Elections BC hasn’t yet posted the numbers for Oct. 13, but all-told, at least 477,095 of the province’s 3,550,017 registered voters have visited the polls already.

According to its reports, the Vancouver Island electoral district ‘Ladysmith-Oceanside,’ which includes Parksville and Qualicum Beach, showed the most democratic enthusiasm over the first few days with 10,692 residents casting their ballots from Thursday to Saturday.

If you are an eligible voter, you are also eligible for advance voting — you don’t need a special reason to do it.

To track down the closest location, check the ‘Where to Vote’ card that should have been mailed to you.

If you didn’t receive one, you can check the Elections BC website.

Whichever method you use, be sure to check the hours as not all advance voting places are open every day of the advance voting period.

Otherwise, the final election day is Oct. 19.