Elections BC Announces Hand-Counting for Snap Election Ballots
Elections BC will mostly hand-count ballots for the October 24 provincial snap election, potentially delaying final results due to operational logistics.
The provincial election agency Elections BC announced that most ballots cast during the October 24, 2026, snap election will be counted by hand. This manual process differs from the 2024 election, which used electronic tabulators, and may delay the final results. The agency stated the decision was necessary because of the "short timeframes and complex operational logistics of a snap election."
Electronic tabulators will still be used for advance votes and ballots cast at district electoral offices, with these results expected to be reported first after polls close at 8 p.m. Saturday. As of October 23, 891,348 advance votes had been cast from a pool of 3,738,182 registered voters. Absentee and mail-in ballots will be tallied during the final count from November 6 to November 10.
In separate campaign activity, the British Columbia Conservatives held a rally in Surrey. During the event, mayor-elect Doug McCallum endorsed Lorne Doerkson as the next premier, stating "it was time to change B.C."
