Right ballot, wrong lineup? How to navigate B.C.’s overlapping elections

British Columbians can cast ballots in two elections Saturday, Oct. 17, but they’ll want to make sure they’re in the right lineup.

Local election day coincides with the second day of provincial advance voting, meaning eligible voters can cast both ballots but generally at separate locations.

“This is a very rare circumstance and we completely understand that this can be a bit confusing for voters,” Elections BC spokesperson Colleen Hildebrandt told Global News Morning on Saturday.

She said Elections BC has not seen this overlap since becoming an independent office in 1995.

Voting locations for local elections are available on local government websites. Provincial voters can check their Where to Vote cards or enter their address in the lookup tool at elections.bc.ca.

A few buildings are hosting both elections, Hildebrandt said, with separate voting areas marked by signs.

“Our election officials on site are happy to help any voter,” she said.

Provincial advance voting continues through Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time, ahead of election day on Saturday, Oct. 24. Voters can use any advance voting location, but should check its schedule because not every site opens each day.

More than a million people voted in advance in the last provincial election, Hildebrandt said. While it is too early to know whether this election will follow that trend, she said advance voting is a convenient option.

“So anyone that’s out and about on the weekends or has a little bit of spare time, they can pop by any voting location,” she said. “It takes about 10 minutes.”

A Where to Vote card is not required, and eligible provincial voters can register when they arrive. They will need identification.

Hildebrandt said voters can bring two pieces of identification, both showing their name, with at least one also showing their current home address.

Anyone with questions can contact Elections BC’s call centre at 1-800-661-8683.

“We recognize that this is a very unique situation and that people need to know where to go for each election,” Hildebrandt said. “It’s very exciting and it’s very important that people get out and vote.”