Government

Go Figure: With election day looming in B.C., we stuff the ballot box with some facts around voting

British Columbia goes to the polls for election day on October 19

By Michael McCullough /

British Columbia goes to the polls for the first time in four years on October 19 to elect a new provincial government. Are you registered? Here we provide some statistical context for this exercise in democracy.

  • 51% of BCers surveyed in a March 2024 Angus Reid Institute poll said it was time for a change of government.
  • 40.5% of eligible voters polled in a 2010 Elections BC survey described themselves as “consistent voters.”
  • 16.1% considered themselves “consistent non-voters.”

Voter turnout in the 1996, 2017 and 2020 elections:

Current number of seats in the B.C. legislature: 87

There were approximately 3,000 eligible voters in B.C.’s first provincial election in 1871. Voting was restricted to male British subjects 21 and older who met property and residence requirements. Judges, magistrates and police were prohibited from voting. By comparison, there were 3.5 million registered voters in the 2020 election.

Spending on the 2024 provincial election by any one political party is capped at $5,049,954. Individual candidates can spend $71,429.

Sources: Angus Reid Institute, Elections BC, Time

Michael McCullough

Michael McCullough

Michael is a financial journalist based in the Cowichan Valley. He's a former managing editor of Canadian Business and editorial director of Canada Wide Media, BCBusiness's publisher. In 2024, he co-authored Personal Finance for Canadians for Dummies, 7th Edition (Wiley, 2024).