Updated October 14, 2026
British Columbians vote in a provincial election on Saturday, October 24, 2026, to choose 93 members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and, in practice, the next premier. Advance voting starts this Friday, October 16, which is the day before Vancouver’s own civic election on October 17. If you are wondering what is on your provincial ballot, who the parties are, and why this election is happening two years early, this guide covers it from the beginning.
Voting in Vancouver’s civic election as well? See our companion guide to the 2026 Vancouver election. The two elections are separate, with different candidates, ballots, and rules.
The election at a glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is being decided? | 93 MLAs, one per riding. The party that can hold the confidence of the legislature forms government |
| Election day | Saturday, October 24, voting places open 8 am to 8 pm |
| Advance voting | Friday, October 16 to Wednesday, October 21, 8 am to 8 pm |
| How many votes do you get? | One: a single vote for one candidate in your riding |
| Seats needed for a majority | 47 |
| Who can vote? | Canadian citizens, 18 or older, who have lived in B.C. since at least April 23, 2026 |
Why is there an election now?
The last B.C. election was held on October 19, 2024, and the next one was not required until October 2028. Premier David Eby (BC NDP) called an early, or “snap,” election on September 22, 2026, by asking Lieutenant Governor Wendy Cocchia to dissolve the legislature.
Eby said the threat posed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and trade conflict makes this an “existential moment” for B.C., and that voters should decide how the province responds. He has also pointed to turmoil on the opposition side: the BC Conservatives have had several leaders in two years, and two splinter parties have formed on the political right.
Critics, including the Conservative and Green leaders, call the election opportunistic and unnecessary, and some analysts have questioned the timing, one week after municipal elections across the province. One poll found that a majority of British Columbians disapprove of the early election. Supporters of the move note that the NDP government holds a majority of just one seat, which they say is a fragile base for dealing with a trade conflict.
The election call also cancelled a by-election that was underway in Abbotsford-Mission. Ballots already cast there were discarded and will not count in the general election.
The basics: how a provincial election works
One riding, one vote, one winner
B.C. is divided into 93 ridings (also called electoral districts), and each one elects a single MLA. You vote once, for one candidate on your riding’s ballot. The candidate with the most votes in the riding wins, even if they get less than half of all votes. This is called “first past the post.”
There is no ranked ballot, no party list, and no second round. You are choosing a local candidate, but most people also have the party leader in mind when they vote, because the premier comes from whichever party wins the most seats.
Who becomes premier?
A party needs 47 of 93 seats for a majority government. If no party reaches 47, the largest party, or a group of parties, tries to win the confidence of the legislature, and the Lieutenant Governor decides who is invited to form government. A government that cannot win confidence votes in the legislature can be defeated.
The 2024 election was close. The NDP won exactly 47 seats (44.9 per cent of votes), the Conservatives won 44 (43.3 per cent), and the Greens won two (8.2 per cent).
Plain-language glossary
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| MLA | Member of the Legislative Assembly: your elected provincial representative |
| Riding | Your local electoral district. Find yours by postal code on the Elections BC website |
| Writ | The formal order that starts an election campaign. Issued September 22 |
| Snap election | An election called before the fixed date |
| Caucus | The group of MLAs belonging to one party |
| Interim leader | A party leader appointed temporarily, not chosen in a leadership vote |
| Confidence | The legislature’s support for the government. Losing a confidence vote can end a government |
What does the province actually control?
The provincial government makes decisions that shape daily life across B.C., which is different from what your city council controls.
| Level | Examples of what it handles |
|---|---|
| Province (this election) | Health care and hospitals, income tax and PST, housing rules and tenancy law, K-12 and post-secondary funding, child care, ICBC, BC Hydro, highways, resource and energy policy, social assistance, the policing framework |
| City (October 17) | Local zoning and permits, local police budget, parks and community centres, local roads and utilities |
If your top concerns are health care wait times, taxes, rent rules, or the cost of living, they are mostly provincial issues.
Key dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| September 22 | Writ issued, legislature dissolved |
| October 3, 1 pm | Candidate nominations closed |
| October 14, 6:15 to 8 pm | The only televised leaders’ debate: Eby, Conservative interim leader Lorne Doerkson, and Green leader Emily Lowan |
| October 16 to 21 | Advance voting, 8 am to 8 pm |
| October 17 | Civic elections across B.C. (a separate election) |
| October 24 | Final voting day, 8 am to 8 pm. Mail-in ballots must arrive by 8 pm |
| November 6 to 10 | Elections BC conducts the final count |
Who can vote
To vote in the 2026 provincial election, you must be a Canadian citizen, 18 or older on October 24, and have lived in B.C. since at least April 23, 2026 (six months before election day). Permanent residents cannot vote in provincial elections.
These are not the same rules as Vancouver’s civic election, so you can be eligible for one and not the other. For example, in the civic election, some non-resident property owners can vote, but that is separate from this election.
Registering
You do not need to be registered ahead of time. You can register online, by phone, or in person at the voting place when you go to vote. If you were registered by October 1, you should have received a “Where to Vote” card in the mail. It lists your assigned voting place on October 24 and your advance voting options, and it counts as one of your two pieces of ID. You can still vote without it.
What to bring
Voters need to prove who they are and where they live. The usual options are either one government-issued card showing your name, photo, and address (such as a driver’s licence), or two pieces of ID that both show your name, with at least one showing your address. Check Elections BC’s list of accepted ID before you go.
How to vote
Advance voting: October 16 to 21
Advance voting is open to every eligible voter, and you do not need a special reason. You can vote at any advance voting place in the province, they are all wheelchair accessible, and they are open 8 am to 8 pm each day. Elections BC publishes the full list of locations online.
Final voting day: October 24
Voting places are open from 8 am to 8 pm. You will have an assigned voting place, but you can vote at another voting place if it is more convenient.
Vote by mail
You can request a vote-by-mail package online, by phone at 1-800-661-8683, or at a district electoral office. The completed ballot must be received by 8 pm on October 24. Check the Elections BC website for the request deadline. With the election one week away, voting in person is the safer option unless you will be out of reach on the voting days.
The parties and leaders
B.C. politics is unusually unsettled this year. Several parties are new, the main opposition party has changed leaders repeatedly, and MLAs have switched parties many times since 2024. Here is where things stood when the writ was issued.
| Party | Leader | Candidates | Seats at dissolution |
|---|---|---|---|
| BC NDP | David Eby | 92 | 47 |
| BC Conservatives | Lorne Doerkson (interim) | 93 | 36 |
| BC Greens | Emily Lowan | 74 | 2 |
| CentreBC | Elenore Sturko | 35 | 1 |
| OneBC | Dallas Brodie (interim) | 34 | 2 |
The seat counts reflect MLAs at the time of dissolution, after several MLAs who had left the Conservatives rejoined them. Three independents and two vacant seats are not shown. About 355 candidates are running in total, including independents and a few small parties. Only the Conservatives are running in all 93 ridings, and the NDP did not nominate a candidate in Peace River North because of incomplete paperwork.
BC NDP
The NDP has governed since 2017 and is running for a fourth consecutive term under Premier David Eby, who has led the party since October 2022 and represents Vancouver-Point Grey. Its campaign slogan is “Build BC Strong.” Its central pitch is that B.C. needs a stable government to protect jobs and public services while facing U.S. trade threats, build housing, and diversify the economy. Several NDP MLAs, including former finance minister Brenda Bailey, are not seeking re-election.
BC Conservatives
The Conservatives won 44 seats in 2024 and became the Official Opposition under John Rustad. Since then the party has been in turmoil. Rustad was removed as leader in December 2025 and resigned. Former federal cabinet minister Kerry-Lynne Findlay won the leadership in May 2026, then resigned on September 20 after a string of MLAs left or were removed from caucus.
Lorne Doerkson, the MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin, became interim leader and is leading the party into this election. Many voters do not yet know him well, and observers have said his main task in the campaign is to introduce himself to the public. Several of the MLAs who had left the party returned once the election was called.
BC Greens
The Greens hold two seats and are led by Emily Lowan, who won the leadership in September 2025. The party ended its co-operation agreement with the NDP in February 2026 and is running 74 candidates. Lowan is running in Saanich North and the Islands. The party’s platform is called “Believe in Better.”
CentreBC
CentreBC is a new centrist party. Eight Conservative MLAs joined it in September, but seven of them returned to the Conservatives after the election was called. Surrey-Cloverdale MLA Elenore Sturko became leader and is running in Surrey South. The party is running 35 candidates.
OneBC
OneBC is a new party on the right, formed in 2025 by former Conservative MLAs, and led on an interim basis by Dallas Brodie, who is running in Vancouver-Quilchena. It is running 34 candidates. It is not a recognized party in the legislature.
Not on the ballot: BC Liberals and BC United
The former BC Liberals, renamed BC United, withdrew before the 2024 election and are not fielding candidates this time. If you see “Liberal” on a sign in Vancouver, it is almost certainly the Vancouver Liberals, a separate civic party in the October 17 election.
Where the race stands
Polls have shifted since the writ was issued. Before the campaign began, one poll had the NDP ahead. Since then, most polls have shown the Conservatives with a lead of a few points, with some surveys showing a tie or the NDP gaining.
| Poll (dates) | NDP | Conservative | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liaison Strategies (Oct 7 to 8) | 37% | 43% | 10% |
| Angus Reid (Oct 1 to 3) | 43% | 48% | 7% |
| Mainstreet Research (Sep 30 to Oct 1) | 37% | 45% | 11% |
| Pollara (Sep 23 to 30) | 38% | 38% | 13% |
| Ipsos (Sep 25 to 29) | 40% | 42% | 10% |
| Leger (Sep 24 to 28) | 36% | 39% | 13% |
| Liaison Strategies (Sep 21 to 22, before the call) | 41% | 36% | 12% |
OneBC and CentreBC are each polling in the low single digits. An Ipsos poll found Eby ahead of Doerkson as preferred premier (33 per cent to 17 per cent), but with 36 per cent undecided. Angus Reid found cost of living is voters’ top issue, followed by health care.
A few things to keep in mind when reading polls. Margins of error are typically around three to four points, so many of these results are statistically close. Polls measure province-wide support, but seats are won one riding at a time, so a party can win more votes and fewer seats. And a sizable share of voters says it is still undecided.
Key issues and what the parties are offering
Affordability, health care, and the province’s finances are the top themes, along with the U.S. trade conflict. This is a summary of the main party positions as of October 14, so check each party’s own platform for full detail. The NDP, Conservatives, and Greens have each released platform material, and the other parties have shorter platforms.
| Issue | BC NDP | BC Conservatives | BC Greens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taxes | Raise income taxes by two percentage points on the top two brackets; pause an expansion of PST to professional services | No new taxes, cut income taxes by $1,000 a year per person, scrap the PST expansion permanently | One-time tax on “excessive wealth” and higher taxes on the wealthiest; say no one who works for an income pays more |
| Health care | Add eight MRI machines and 10 CT scanners, 20 team-based primary care clinics, 1,000 training seats; sign every candidate to a pledge against user fees | Keep ERs open with a $50 million emergency fund, launch an expert commission within 100 days to cut wait times, build more long-term care beds | Community Health Centres in every riding, end “creeping privatization,” cover mental health visits under MSP |
| Housing | Raise the speculation and vacancy tax and add a new tax on unsold condos | Bring down the cost of building and buying homes | Restart the Community Housing Fund, introduce vacancy control, end blanket pet bans |
Taxes and the economy
The three main parties have sharply different plans. The NDP says higher earners should pay somewhat more to protect health care. The Conservatives say lower taxes and less red tape will grow the economy. The Greens say the ultra-wealthy should contribute more, and their platform includes a one-time wealth levy. The Greens say their plan would raise more than $9 billion a year in new revenue from 2028-29. All three say they will not cut health care.
Health care
All parties promise to improve access, and the debate is mostly about how. The NDP says it will defend the public system against U.S.-style privatization, and the Conservatives say they will keep the system universal and publicly funded while looking at solutions from other public systems. Expect to hear about family doctors, ER closures, wait times, and long-term care.
Housing and renters
The NDP has focused on cracking down on empty units. The Greens are focused on renter protections. CentreBC’s platform proposes provincial standards for approval times, and OneBC would eliminate the building Step Code and block municipal rent control programs.
Public safety and drugs
Conservative leader Doerkson has promised to change the Mental Health Act so police can bring people into mandatory treatment, build psychiatric and treatment beds, and hire 250 more police officers and 500 more RCMP officers for regional and rural communities. The Greens would decriminalize possession and expand regulated alternatives, while OneBC takes the opposite approach. The NDP has announced funding for indoor day centres in the Downtown Eastside.
Indigenous rights and DRIPA
DRIPA, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, is a 2019 B.C. law that commits the province to aligning its laws with the UN Declaration. It has become a major dividing line. The Conservatives and OneBC would repeal it. After a December 2025 court ruling, the NDP said it would amend the law to limit the province’s legal liability over the pace and scope of its reconciliation work.
Energy
The NDP and Conservatives both back LNG expansion. OneBC wants an oil pipeline, and the Greens oppose new pipelines and tankers.
Vancouver ridings to know
Vancouver has 12 provincial ridings. The NDP won 11 of them in 2024, but several races could be closer this time.
| Riding | 2024 result | 2026 notes |
|---|---|---|
| Vancouver-Point Grey | NDP by 4,916 | Premier Eby (NDP) faces Alex McMillan (Conservative), Michael Davis (CentreBC), and Beatrice Sharpe (Green) |
| Vancouver-Quilchena | Conservative by 2,815 | Dallas Brodie, elected as a Conservative, now runs as OneBC leader. Five candidates |
| Vancouver-Langara | NDP by 419 | Closest race in Vancouver in 2024. Sunita Dhir (NDP) faces Jaime Stein (Conservative), Alan Beesley (CentreBC), and John Atoyebi (Green) |
| Vancouver-Yaletown | NDP by 1,161 | Terry Yung (NDP) faces Margareta Dovgal (Conservative), Sam Chandola (CentreBC), Priyan Samarakoone (Green), and an unaffiliated candidate |
| Vancouver-Fraserview | NDP by 4,278 | MLA George Chow is not running. Aman Singh (NDP) faces Deep Sandhu (Conservative) and Francoise Raunet (Green) |
| Vancouver-South Granville | NDP by 10,530 | MLA Brenda Bailey is not running. Five candidates, including Lara Honrado (NDP) and Lisa Phillips (Conservative) |
| Vancouver-Strathcona | Vacant | MLA Joan Phillip died on August 28. Amanda Burrows (NDP) faces Jordan Zheng McIntosh (Conservative), Tanya Webking (Green), and Robert Crooks (Communist) |
Hastings, Little Mountain, and Renfrew were won by the NDP by margins of 5,000 votes or more in 2024. Use the Elections BC candidate list to see who is running in Vancouver-Kensington, Vancouver-West End, and your own riding, and double-check the names above against the official list.
Common points of confusion
- Civic and provincial parties are different. The Green Party of Vancouver and the Vancouver Liberals run in the October 17 civic election. They are not the same organizations as the BC Greens or the former BC Liberals.
- Two separate elections, two separate sets of rules. Civic voting is October 17, with its own eligibility, locations, and ID rules. Provincial voting runs October 16 to 24. Elections BC has stressed that the two are separate events.
- There is no ranked ballot. You mark one name. Strategic voting is a personal decision, and nobody can tell you how many votes your riding needs.
- The Conservative Party of B.C. is not the federal Conservative Party. They are separate organizations.
After you vote: what happens on election night
Polls close at 8 pm Pacific time on October 24, and preliminary results usually come in that evening. Those results are unofficial. Elections BC conducts the final count from November 6 to 10, which includes ballots cast outside the riding and mail-in ballots, and a close race can change after the final count. If no party wins 47 seats, expect a period of negotiation before it is clear who forms government.
A simple way to approach your ballot
- Find your riding with your postal code on the Elections BC website, then see which candidates are running there.
- Decide which issues matter most to you: cost of living, health care, housing, public safety, or the economy.
- Read the party platforms. Each party’s own website has more detail than any summary, and non-partisan comparison tools such as BC Ballot let you compare positions side by side.
- Remember you vote for one candidate, so look at both your local candidates and the party and leader behind each name.
- Make a plan to vote: advance voting from October 16 to 21, or October 24. Bring two pieces of ID or one government-issued ID with your name, photo, and address.
Where to find more information
Elections BC at elections.bc.ca is the authoritative source for voting locations, accepted ID, the full candidate list, and results on election night. You can reach them by phone at 1-800-661-8683. The parties’ own sites are bcndp.ca, conservativebc.ca, bcgreens.ca, centrebc.ca, and 1bc.ca.
This guide reflects information current as of October 14, 2026. Party platforms, polls, and candidate details can change during the campaign, so check Elections BC and the parties directly for the latest.