Today, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, is the civic election’s main voting day in communities across B.C., including throughout Metro Vancouver. This is the last opportunity to cast a ballot to help determine who will become the next mayor, city councillors, School Board trustees, and any other local representatives in municipal government.
Voting stations today opened at 8 a.m. and will close at 8 p.m., with results appearing online shortly after. Daily Hive Urbanized will be providing full coverage.
So far, four cities in Metro Vancouver have publicly shared the turnout for the entire advance voting period earlier this month.
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- City of Vancouver advance voting period ends with nearly 104,000 voters after four record-breaking days
- City of Surrey's civic election advance voting turnout jumps by 47% with 52,600 ballots already cast
- How to vote in the City of Vancouver's October 2026 municipal election and plebiscites on the capital plan and public safety
- How to vote in the 2026 B.C. provincial election, including advance voting
In the City of Richmond, a record 17,464 people voted during five advance voting days on Oct. 3, 7, 8, 9 and 10. That is more than double the 7,247 advance voters recorded in 2022. The increase amounts to 10,217 additional voters, or approximately 141 per cent.
Notably, Richmond residents are guaranteed to elect a new mayor for the first time in 25 years, as longtime mayor Malcom Brodie is not seeking re-election.
The Township of Langley also announced a record, with 9,876 voters casting ballots during its advance voting period from Oct. 6 to 10.
The figures follow substantial increases in Metro Vancouver’s two largest cities.
The City of Vancouver’s preliminary figures showed more than 103,000 advance voters, up approximately 60 per cent from roughly 65,000 in 2022. That record increase came despite having four advance voting days this year, compared with five in the previous election. But Vancouver also nearly tripled the number of advance voting locations — from 22 polling stations in 2022 to 59 in 2026.
This civic election, Vancouver residents are also voting in a non-binding public safety plebiscite on enabling greater enforcement against public hard drug use and creating a secure medical treatment facility for people with severe mental health and addictions issues.
The City of Surrey recorded 52,600 advance ballots, representing a 47 per cent increase from 35,701 in 2022. The City also expanded its advance voting locations from six to 10, giving residents more places to cast their ballots early.
There are early signs that there were also strong advance voting turnouts in other Metro Vancouver municipalities, but those jurisdictions have yet to formally publish any preliminary figures.
It remains to be seen whether the higher advance voting numbers will translate into greater overall civic turnout, or whether more voters have simply chosen to vote earlier.
There are two separate elections underway. Today is the final voting day for the civic election, while advance voting for the provincial general election runs for six consecutive days from Friday, Oct. 16 to Wednesday, Oct. 21, ahead of provincial election’s main voting day on Saturday, Oct. 24. Casting a provincial ballot does not count as voting in the civic election; the provincial decides the MLA seat for each provincial riding, which will help determine which provincial party forms the next provincial government.
- You might also like:
- It’s civic election day across B.C., and Vancouver polls are open until 8 p.m.
- City of Vancouver advance voting period ends with nearly 104,000 voters after four record-breaking days
- City of Surrey's civic election advance voting turnout jumps by 47% with 52,600 ballots already cast
- How to vote in the City of Vancouver's October 2026 municipal election and plebiscites on the capital plan and public safety
- How to vote in the 2026 B.C. provincial election, including advance voting