Record-Breaking 28 Percent Advance Voting Turnout for BC Election

Advance voting numbers have hit a record high in British Columbia with 28 percent of the electorate already casting a ballot in the 2024 provincial election.

The previous record was set in 2020, where 671,231 ballots were cast in advance voting polls, representing 19 percent of registered voters that year.

In Conservative Party leader John Rustad's riding of Nechako Lakes, 30 percent, or 5,399 people voted early.

In the riding of Victoria-Beacon Hill, where Green Party leader Sonia Fursteanu is running, 37 percent, amounting to 15,992 voters, participated in advanced polls.

Total voter turnout in 2020 was 53.9 percent, or 1,898,553 ballots cast.

B.C.'s provincial election day is set for Oct. 19.

Support for the NDP in the metro Vancouver area has risen over the past three weeks, from 42 percent to 49 percent, according to the survey numbers.

The Conservatives have 49 percent of support outside of Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island, Leger said.

Voters 55 and older represent 49 percent of advance voters. This age group tends to support the NDP over the Conservatives (51 percent to 37 percent), according to the Leger poll.

Smaller numbers of younger votes have cast an early ballot, according to Leger. Thirty-three percent of those aged 35 to 54 and 23 percent of those aged 18 to 34 say they voted early.

Conservative support is higher among men aged 35 to 54, at 47 percent, according to Leger, The survey found that support for the Conservatives dropped between youth and women last week, but "recovered slightly" heading to election day.

The online survey was conducted from Oct. 14 to 15, with 1,017 B.C. residents participating.