British Columbians can begin casting their ballots in person when advanced polls open up this Thursday, Oct. 15.
There are seven advanced voting days this year, up from six in 2017, and Elections BC says the extra day will help reduce the number of people gathering in voting places as a way to keep people safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
You will be able to cast your ballot until Oct. 21, and then again on Election Day, Oct. 24.
“Voters should note that some voting places won’t be open on every advance voting day. Advance voting places will be available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time on the days they are open,” said a statement from Elections BC.
In the Kamloops-North Thompson riding, you’ll be able to cast an advance vote in Kamloops at the electoral office at the Brock Shopping Centre, at Kamloops Christian School, at the North Shore Community Centre, and at Moccasin Square Gardens.
In the Kamloops-South Thompson riding, Kamloops residents can cast advance votes at the electoral office at Sahali Mall, and at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
You can find your polling station online here or by calling Elections BC at 1-800-661-8683.
Elections BC says people who vote in person can expect to see among other things physical distancing, capacity limits, personal protective equipment for staff, and hand sanitizer stations.
“Voting places may have changed since the last election,” added the Elections BC statement. “Elections BC has reviewed all of the voting places being used to ensure they can support physical distancing and the pandemic safety protocols that will be in place at every location.”
Elections BC also says there have been 680,000 requests for main-in ballot packages and about 670,000 have been issued. It includes 5,419 in Kamloops-North Thompson (out of 44,809 registered voters), 7,654 in Kamloops-South Thompson (out of 46,345 registered voters), and 2,635 in Fraser-Nicola (out of 26,500 registered voters).
As of 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 12, Elections BC says about 138,500 mail-in ballots have been returned. People have until Oct. 24 to return these ballots, which traditionally take about 13 days to be counted.
(Photo via Elections BC)
