Election 2026 FAQs For Voting Day 

The local Chief Election Officer of the municipality, regional district or board of education conducting the election. For questions or concerns about voting proceedings, contact your local Chief Election Officer.

A directory of local governments in B.C. is available online at: CivicInfo BC | Directories

Voting locations are set by the local Chief Election Officer. For a list of voting opportunities and their location, you may wish to contact the local government office, visit the local government website and/or social media channels, or view the general local election public notices (required to be published).

A directory of local governments in B.C. is available online at: CivicInfo BC | Directories

There are a number of ways to determine which local election you are eligible to vote in, such as:

• Calling your nearest local government office to determine if your residential address is in their boundary.
• Visiting local government websites of nearby municipalities or regional districts to check if they have a GIS search tool available for the local election.
• Checking your property tax bill and confirming with the local government. If it is from the municipality, you may be within the municipal boundary. For property tax bills received from the Surveyor of Taxes, you may live in an area outside a municipality and in an electoral area. Electoral area elections are the responsibility of the regional district.

To be eligible to vote in the 2026 general local elections you must be:

• 18 years of age or older when you register to vote, or will be 18 years or older on general voting day;
• A Canadian citizen;
• Have been a resident of B. C. for at least six months immediately before you register to vote;
• A resident of the jurisdiction where you are voting (resident elector) or the owner of real property in the jurisdiction where you are voting for at least 30 days prior (non-resident elector); and,
• Not be disqualified under the Local Government Act, or any other enactment from voting in local elections or be otherwise disqualified by law

ID is required when you are registering to vote at the time of voting. If you are not on the voters list or the local government uses same-day registration only, you will need to register at the time of voting.

To register at the time of voting, you must:

1. Deliver an application under s. 70 of the Local Government Act or provide the information required by s.70 (name; address; birth date or last 6 digits of SIN); and,
2. Satisfy the election official of your identity and place of residence.

A list of accepted ID documents is available here: Local Government Elections Regulation

ID is not required if the local government uses advance registration and you are already registered to vote and on the voters list. Local governments have discretion to decide if they will offer advance registration and whether they will use the Provincial Voters List (maintained by Elections BC) or maintain their own list. Some local governments may send out voter cards to registered voters with voting locations. It is helpful, but not necessary to bring the voter card to the voting location.

Eligible electors who live on a First Nation reserve can vote. Where that person votes depends on whether the reserve is located within a municipality or regional district as defined in the Letters Patent of the local government.

• If the reserve is located in an electoral area, eligible electors residing on the reserve may vote for the electoral area director through the regional district.
• If the reserve is located in a municipality and the reserve has not been excluded from the municipal boundary, eligible electors residing on the reserve may vote for mayor and council.
• If the reserve is located in a municipality and the reserve is excluded from the municipal boundary in the Letters Patent, eligible electors residing on the reserve may vote for the nearest electoral area director through the regional district.
• If the reserve is partially located in multiple jurisdictions (e.g., within a municipality and an electoral area or two electoral areas), you may vote in the election where the portion you live in is located. An exception to this is if the municipality's Letters Patent exclude the Reserve, in that case you can vote for the nearest electoral area director through the regional district.

Contact the local government of the jurisdiction that the reserve is located to confirm where to vote. A directory of local governments is available online at: CivicInfo BC | Directories

For more information, please visit: Electors living on Reserve - Province of British Columbia

Yes. An eligible elector may register at the time of voting by satisfying the election official of their identity and place of residence (this can be a usual place the person stays or accesses services). Two pieces of identification are required, and one must include a signature. A person may sign a solemn declaration as to their place of residence if they don't have a document to prove it.

The Local Government Elections Regulation, B.C. Reg. 380/93 includes a list of documents that have been prescribed as acceptable evidence of a person’s identity and place of residence. For more information, please contact your local government.

You may vote in local elections if you meet the voter eligibility requirements of a resident elector. A person may register at the time of voting by satisfying the election official of the applicant's identity and place of residence, including signing a solemn declaration confirming their place of residence if needed. For more information, please contact your local government.

Yes, if the person is eligible to vote as a resident and non-resident elector they may vote in the jurisdiction where they reside and register as a non-resident property elector in another jurisdiction that they own property.

Please note that when registering as a non-resident property elector, there are additional eligibility requirements. These are listed in section 66 of the Local Government Act.

Also note, you may not vote as a resident and a non-resident property elector in the same jurisdiction.

If there is more than one owner listed on title only one person is entitled to vote in relation to the property. The person voting must have written consent of the majority of owners. It is up to each local government as to how that consent is provided.

Yes. Under the legislation, a person who needs assistance marking a ballot as a result of a physical disability or due to difficulties with reading or writing may be assisted by an election official or by a person accompanying the elector.

Prior to the elector receiving the ballot, the assisting person must sign a written statement that also provides their name and residential address, the name and residential address of the elector being assisted, and must make a solemn declaration to:

• Preserve the secrecy of the ballot,
• Mark the ballot as per the instruction of the elector, and
• Refrain from influencing the vote of the elector. 

No. This requirement is only for provincial and federal elections. Local elections are always held on a Saturday and at least one advance voting opportunity 10 days before general voting day must be offered.

Local governments with a major employer in the community, however, are encouraged to coordinate advance voting to ensure a voting opportunity for shift workers.

General local election offences fall into one of two categories:

1. General election offences committed under the Local Government Act, Vancouver Charter (for elections in the City of Vancouver) and School Act; and
2. Campaign financing and election advertising offences committed under the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act.

Law enforcement agencies are responsible for investigating serious election offences under the Local Government Act, Vancouver Charter and School Act, while campaign financing and election advertising offences are managed by Elections BC. Elections BC can be reached at: Contact | Elections BC

Please report suspected offences under the Local Government Act, Vancouver Charter or School Act to the local Chief Election Officer and/or local law enforcement.

If someone has evidence or suspicion of a election offence related to activities prohibited within 100m of a voting place during voting proceedings, they should inform the local Chief Election Officer or Presiding Election Official.

If a person believes that someone has committed a campaign financing election offence they should notify Elections BC.

Nomination packages can be picked up from the local government office where you intend to run. Packages are generally available two weeks before the nomination period begins. For the 2026 general local elections, the nomination period begins September 1, 2026, and closes September 11, 2026.

A list of registered electors is available in local governments that maintain their own list of registered electors or use the Provincial Voter List. Local governments that have limited voter registration to at the time of voting only will not have a list of registered electors available.

Yes. Candidates may vote at a voting place on general voting day. The candidate, however, should not remain at the voting location beyond casting their vote and may not bring anything with them to promote their candidacy or that may influence voters (such as buttons, signs, customized clothing).

Candidates or the official agent must appoint scrutineers in writing and deliver the appointment (including the name and address of the person) to the Chief Election Officer as soon as practicable after the appointment has been made.

A person interested in being a scrutineer can contact a candidate or the local Chief Election Officer for more information about the local government’s process and a sense of what their time commitment would be during the election process.

For more information please visit: General local elections scrutineers - Province of British Columbia

Local Chief Election Officer

Elections BC

Elections BC

Elections BC

If someone has evidence or suspicion of a election offence related to activities prohibited within 100m of a voting place during voting proceedings, they should inform the local Chief Election Officer or Presiding Election Official.

If a person believes that someone has committed a campaign financing election offence they should notify Elections BC.