Whether in person, in advance or by mail, here's everything you need to know to vote in the 2026 provincial election.

With both a civic and a provincial election taking place in October, it’s easy to get lost in the details.

B.C.’s provincial election will take place on Oct. 24, two years earlier than scheduled after Premier David Eby called a snap election.

Here’s everything you need to know to vote in the 2026 B.C. election.

The provincial election takes place on Saturday, Oct. 24.

Nominations for candidates are accepted until 1 p.m. on Oct. 3.

In order to vote, you’ll need to be registered as a voter.

The deadline for registering in advance (either online or by phone) is Oct. 1. This will ensure you receive a Where to Vote card in the mail and streamline the process when you arrive to vote in person. After Oct. 1, you’ll have to check online for your nearest polling station and register when you arrive on voting day.

Advance voting takes place from Oct. 16 to 21.

You can also vote by mail by requesting a package online or by phone 1-800-661-8683 by Oct. 18 at the latest. Mail-in ballots must be received by Elections B.C. no later than Oct. 24.

The last day to vote is election day on Oct. 24.

To be eligible to vote, you must be a Canadian citizen who is at least 18 years of age and must have lived in B.C. for the past six months.

If you voted in the last election, you’ll receive a voter card in the mail.

If you didn’t vote, or you’ve moved since the last election, you can register as a voter or update your voter information:

• By phone at 1-800-661-8683, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• By mail, fax or email by filling out this form and sending to Elections B.C. by mail, fax, or email at voterservices@elections.bc.ca

When registering or updating information, you’ll need to provide your name, date of birth, address and identification, such as your driver’s licence, personal health or social insurance number.

There are a few different ways to vote no matter your schedule or accessibility needs.

You can vote in person at any district electoral office, on an advance voting day or on election day.

You can vote by mail by requesting a voting package and returning it to Elections B.C. before final election day.

You can vote in advance either on an advance voting day or by mail-in ballot.

You can vote in person on an advance voting day: There are six advance election days on Oct. 16 to 21. Advance voting dates are open to anyone, and you can register as a voter or update your voter information at the same time. Advance voting locations will be published on the Elections B.C. website and in local newspapers.

You can vote in person on election day: Voting locations will be posted to the Elections B.C. website and will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Keep in mind B.C. has a vote anywhere model, so you can vote at any voting station.

For those wanting to vote by mail, you can request your mail-in ballot package now. The completed package will need to be returned to Elections B.C. by 8 p.m. on election day to be counted.

There’s several bonuses to voting in advance. For one, there’s a good chance the lineups will be shorter than on election day.

You’ll also be able to choose from one of six advance voting dates, so you can vote at a time that works for your schedule.

You also don’t need a special reason to vote in advance instead of on election day.

Advance voting stations will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and the locations will be published on the Elections B.C. website once the detailed are confirmed. We’ll update this page with where to find those locations shortly.

Elections B.C. assigns voters to specific voting places for election day to manage traffic and crowd flow.

That said, B.C. has a vote anywhere model so you can vote at another polling station if it is more convenient to you.

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