It’s officially election day in B.C.’s 2020 provincial snap election.
First called in September by B.C. NDP Leader John Horgan, BC Votes 2020 is likely going to be one for the history books, already seeing a number of records broken when it comes to voter turnout.
Roughly 681,000 people cast their ballot during the seven days of advanced voting that ended Wednesday, compared to 614,389 in 2017.
Meanwhile, 478,900 returned vote-by-mail packages had been received by Elections BC by Oct. 22, representing 66 per cent of the packages requested.
It is expected that some ridings will see preliminary results as to which candidate will likely take a seat in the B.C. Legislature by the end of day Saturday. Meanwhile, close races will have to wait until mid-November for the winner to be declared, once mail-in ballots are counted by Elections BC officials after Nov. 6.
Haven’t voted? There’s still time. Here’s what you need to know:
Polling locations:
MAP: Voting locations in Langley
Langley
• Alice Brown Elementary, 20011 44 Ave.
• Blacklock Elementary, 5100 206 St.
• Brookswood Secondary, 20902 37A Ave.
• Douglas Park Community School, 5409 206 St.
• Glenwood Elementary, 20785 24 Ave.
• H.D. Stafford Middle School, 20441 Grade Cres.
• Langley Life Tabernacle, 4447 200 St.
• Langley Meadows Community School, 2244 Willoughby Way
• Langley Secondary, 21405 56 Ave.
• Nicomekl Community School, 20050 53 Ave.
• R.C. Garnett Elementary, 7096 201 St.
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Langley East
• Alex Hope Elementary, 21150 85 Ave.
• East Bethel Mennonite Church, 24687 56 Ave.
• D.W. Poppy Secondary, 23752 52 Ave.
• Dorothy Peacock Elementary, 20292 91A Ave.
• Fort Langley Elementary, 8877 Bartlett St.
• Gordon Greenwood Elementary, 9175 206 St.
• James Hill Elementary, 22144 Old Yale Rd.
• Langley Fine Arts School, 9096 Trattle St.
• Langley Fundamental Elementary, 21789 50 Ave.
• Lynn Fripps Elementary, 21020 83 Ave.
• R.E. Mountain Secondary, 7755 202A St.
• Richard Bulpitt Elementary, 20965 77A Ave.
• Topham Elem School, 21555 91 Ave.
• Walnut Grove Secondary, 8919 Walnut Grove Dr.
• West Langley Elementary, 9403 212 St.
• Wix-Brown Elementary, 23851 24 Ave.
• Yorkson Creek Middle School, 20686 84 Ave.
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Candidates running in the riding:
Langley East riding
BC NDP candidate Megan Dykeman
BC Libertarian candidate Alex Joehl
BC Liberal candidate Margaret Kunst
BC Independent candidate Tara Reeve
BC Conservative candidate Ryan Warawa
BC Green candidate Cheryl Wiens
.
Langley riding
BC Conservative candidate Shelly Jan
BC NDP candidate Andrew Mercier
BC Liberal candidate Mary Polak
.
Voter registration:
While eligible voters don’t have to register ahead of time to take part in the election, Elections BC recommends British Columbians sign up ahead of time in order to avoid lengthy lineups.
Voters can register or update their information online at elections.bc.ca/ovr or by calling 1-800-661-8683. Registration closed on Sept. 26.
To be eligible, British Columbians must be able to show one of the following pieces of identification:
- A B.C. driver’s licence
- A B.C. Identification Card
- A B.C. Services Card, with photo
- A Certificate of Indian Status
- Another card issued by the B.C. government, or Canada, that shows your name, photo and address
Health rules for voting during COVID-19:
All voting places and district electoral offices will have protective measures in place, including:
- Physical distancing
- Capacity limits
- Election officials wearing personal protective equipment (such as masks and face-visors)
- Protective barriers
- Hand sanitizing stations
- Frequent cleaning of voting stations and frequently touched surfaces
- Election workers trained on safe workplace guidelines and pandemic protocols
– with files from Ashley Wadhwani