With voting day upon us, here’s everything you need to know to vote in the 2024 provincial election, from voting places and ID requirements to the candidates and party platforms.
Click the links to jump to a section:
- Ridings on Vancouver Island
- Vancouver Island candidates
- Meet the party leaders
- Learn about the party platforms
- Who can vote in B.C.’s provincial election
- Where and when to vote on Vancouver Island
- What you need to vote
The ridings in the 2024 B.C. election
Candidates will be vying for the vote in 93 ridings across the province.
Six new ridings have been created since the last election in 2020, including one on Vancouver Island, which will have 15 electoral areas. Several ridings have been renamed and had their boundaries changed as part of the redistribution.
Standings in 87-seat B.C. legislature when the election was called:
- 55 B.C. NDP
- 26 B.C. United
- Two B.C. Greens
- Two B.C. Conservatives
- Two Independents
Vancouver Island ridings
There are 15 electoral ridings on Vancouver Island for the 2024 provincial election, up from 14 in 2020.
You can find your riding on your Where to Vote Card, which should have arrived in the mail, or by entering your address on Elections BC’s site.
Click the links to read more about each riding and find a list of voting places.
- Courtenay-Comox
- Cowichan Valley
- Esquimalt-Colwood
- Juan de Fuca-Malahat
- Ladysmith-Oceanside
- Langford-Highlands
- Mid Island-Pacific Rim
- Nanaimo-Gabriola Island
- Nanaimo-Lantzville
- North Island
- Oak Bay-Gordon Head
- Saanich North and the Islands
- Saanich South
- Victoria-Beacon Hill
- Victoria-Swan Lake
Candidates and party leaders in the 2024 B.C. election
Who's running on Vancouver Island?
There are 52 candidates running on Vancouver Island. Click the links to see their responses to our questionnaire and to connect with their websites and social media.
Courtenay-Comox
- Brennan Day, Conservative Party of BC
- Arzeena Hamir, B.C. Green Party
- John Hedican, Independent
- Devin Howell, Independent
- Ronna-Rae Leonard, B.C. NDP (MLA for Courtenay-Comox)
Cowichan Valley
- Jon Coleman, Unaffiliated
- Eden Haythornthwaite, Independent
- John Koury, Conservative Party of BC
- Cammy Lockwood, B.C. Green Party
- Debra Toporowski, B.C. NDP
Esquimalt-Colwood
Juan de Fuca-Malahat
- David Evans, B.C. Green Party
- Dana Lajeunesse, B.C. NDP
- Marina Sapozhnikov, Conservative Party of BC
Ladysmith-Oceanside
- Brett Fee, Conservative Party of BC
- Laura Ferreira, B.C. Green Party
- Stephanie Higginson, B.C. NDP
- Adam Walker, Independent (MLA for Parksville-Qualicum)
Langford-Highlands
- Erin Cassels, B.C. Green Party
- Mike Harris, Conservative Party of BC
- Ravi Parmar, B.C. NDP (MLA for Langford-Juan de Fuca)
Mid Island-Pacific Rim
- Adam Hayduk, Conservative Party of BC
- Josie Osborne, B.C. NDP (MLA for Mid Island-Pacific Rim)
- Ross Reid, B.C. Green Party
Nanaimo-Gabriola Island
- Shirley Lambrecht, B.C. Green Party
- Sheila Malcolmson, B.C. NDP (MLA for Nanaimo)
- Dale Parker, Conservative Party of BC
Nanaimo-Lantzville
North Island
- Michele Babchuk, B.C. NDP (MLA for North Island)
- Nic Dedeluk, B.C. Green Party
- Anna Kindy, Conservative Party of BC
Oak Bay-Gordon Head
Saanich North and the Islands
- Rob Botterell, B.C. Green Party
- David Busch, Conservative Party of BC
- Amy Haysom, Independent
- Sarah Riddell, B.C. NDP
Saanich South
- Adam Kubel, Conservative Party of BC
- Lana Popham, B.C. NDP (MLA for Saanich South)
- Ned Taylor, B.C. Green Party
Victoria-Beacon Hill
- Sonia Furstenau, B.C. Green Party (MLA for Cowichan Valley)
- Grace Lore, B.C. NDP (MLA for Victoria-Beacon Hill)
- Tim Thielmann, Conservative Party of BC
Victoria-Swan Lake
- Robert Crooks, Communist Party of B.C.
- Nina Krieger, B.C. NDP
- Tim Taylor, Conservative Party of BC
- Christina Winter, B.C. Green Party
Meet the party leaders
Read our profiles of the leaders of B.C.'s three main political parties to learn more about them:
- NDP Leader David Eby: 'We're going all in': NDP leader says it's important to try bold policies to tackle complex issues
- Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau: 'I intend to win': B.C. Green leader undaunted in battle for NDP stronghold
- Conservative Party Leader John Rustad: Comeback man: Two years after B.C. Liberals fired him, John Rustad has a shot at becoming premier
There was one televised leaders debate during the campaign. Here's another article about it, plus a roundup of key quotes.
The issues in the 2024 B.C. election
Learn about the party platforms
You can find the platforms for all three of B.C.'s main parties online:
There are also several summaries of some of their key promises available:
- Housing, health, and plastic straws: Here's how B.C. politicians are wooing voters
- B.C. election 2024: A guide to the leaders and party platforms
- What the parties are promising ahead of the British Columbia provincial election
- Campaign sidelights that need more attention
Looking for more on a specific topic?
Health care
- Critics see lots of promises but little structural change for health care
- Rustad says no plan for user-pay health
- Eby promises $75M rural health loan forgiveness plan at Okanagan campaign stop
- Eby, Rustad both promise new patient tower for Nanaimo hospital
- Healing fragile B.C. health system is key election issue
- A look at B.C. health care promises ahead of Oct. 19 election day
Housing
- No shortage when it comes to B.C. housing policies, as Eby, Rustad offer clear choice
- B.C. party leaders fail to give housing specifics during TV debate
- B.C. Conservatives, NDP both announce plans to help ease B.C. housing crisis
- B.C. NDP pledges to help middle-income homebuyers with 40% of financing
- Rustad's major housing tax rebate plan overshadowed by anti-vaccine comments on video
Cost of living
- Will tax cuts and other promises actually help with cost of living?
- Eby says more than 90 per cent of British Columbians to benefit from tax cut promise
Education
- B.C. Conservatives release education policy plans ahead of election day
- B.C. NDP promises more counsellors, education assistants with universal $10/day child care unmet
BC Ferries
Crime and disorder
- Analysis: B.C. Conservatives and B.C. NDP not that far apart on law and order
- Eby supports police on guns and gangs, flanked by four law enforcement candidates
- Nanaimo drug-trafficking arrests show dangers of 'safe' drug sites: B.C. Conservatives
- Crime, disorder take centre stage in B.C. election, but statistics tell complex story
Indigenous rights
Toxic drug crisis
- Critics see drug debate tainted by politicization in B.C. election campaign
- Greens vow to expand safer supply of drugs in B.C., ex-coroner Lapointe backs plan
- Rustad pledges to close B.C.'s overdose prevention sites
Voting in the 2024 B.C. election
Elections BC is using electronic tabulators to count votes in the Oct. 19 provincial election and expects results to be available within one hour of polls closing at 8 p.m. Casting ballots is also expected to be faster.
The Elections BC website also has information on candidates, voting places, identification requirements, getting time off from work to vote, the new voting process and other topics.
Am I eligible to vote?
You can vote if you are:
- A Canadian citizen
- 18 years of age or older on Oct. 19, 2024
- A resident of B.C. since April 18, 2024
When and where can I vote?
General voting day is Oct. 19, 2024, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.Voters have an assigned voting place on general voting day, but you can vote at another voting place if it’s more convenient to you.
Find your assigned voting place on your Where to Vote card, which should have arrived in the mail, or check out Election BC’s Where to Vote app to find voting places near you.
You can also vote at any electoral district office until 4 p.m. on Oct. 19.
Voting places are listed in our riding profiles.
What do I need to vote?
There are three ways to prove your identity when you vote:
Option one
Show one of the following pieces of ID:
- A B.C. driver’s licence
- A B.C. Identification Card (BCID)
- A B.C. Services Card (with photo)
- Another card issued by the Government of B.C. or Government Canada that shows your name, photo and address
- A Certificate of Indian Status
Option two
Show two pieces of ID or documents that both show your name. One must also have your current address.
Government-issued identity documents
- B.C. CareCard
- B.C. Services Card (without photo)
- Birth certificate
- Canadian Forces Photo Identification card
- Citizenship certificate
- Correctional Service Canada Offender Identification card
- Firearms Possession and Acquisition Licence
- Firearms Possession Only Licence
- Old Age Security Identification card
- Passport
- Social Insurance Number card
- Veterans Affairs Canada Health Care Identification card
Other government-issue documents
- Canada Child Tax Benefit statement
- Government cheque or cheque stub
- Income tax assessment notice
- Property tax assessment
- Statement of Canada Pension Plan benefits
- Statement of government employment insurance benefits paid
- Statement of Old Age Security
School, college, or university documents
- Admissions letter
- Report card
- Residence acceptance
- Transcript
- Tuition/fees statement
- Student card
Other documents
- Bank/credit card or statement
- Confirmation of Residence (3003680)
- Hospital bracelet/document
- Insurance statement
- Membership card
- Mortgage statement
- Personal cheque (printed by bank)
- Prescription medication containers
- Provincial Where to Vote card
- Public transportation pass
- Residential lease
- Statutory declaration prepared by a lawyer or notary public attesting a voter’s identity and/or residence
- Utility bill
Option three
Voters who don't have ID can have their identity vouched for by another person. The voucher must be:
- A registered voter resident in the voter’s electoral district, or
- A spouse, parent, grandparent, adult child, adult grandchild or adult sibling of the voter, or
- A person with the authority to make personal care decisions for the voter
Elections BC says vouchers must provide acceptable identification. The voter and the voucher must each make a solemn declaration confirming the voter’s identity and residential address.
A voucher who is not the voter’s relative or personal care authority may only vouch for one voter. A relative may vouch for any voters who are members of their family. A personal care authority may vouch for all voters over whom they have written authority.
A voter who has been vouched for may not vouch for another voter in that election.
