More and more voters are requesting mail-in ballots, as now exceeding 431,000 requests. Elections BC provided the updated figure as of 12:00 am on Monday.
For comparison, 6,500 mail-in ballots were counted in the 2017 provincial election. If you like statistics, the requests in 2020 represent an approximate 6,631% increase from the previous election. The reason for the spike is most certainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 431,000 mail-in ballot requests so far represent about 13.3% of the 3.25-million registered voters from 2017. At this time, there is not a concrete figure as to the number of eligible voters in British Columbia. The previous provincial election saw a voter turnout of 61.2% from those 3.25 registered voters, as 1.98-million ballots were cast.
Voters can still request mail-ballots if they have not done so already. Elections BC says people must request a package before October 17th. All of the mail-in ballots must be filled out and received by Elections BC by 9:00 pm MT on election day, Saturday, October 24th either back through the mail or in-person at a local district electoral office.
Seeing as the deadline for candidate nominations is Friday, October 2nd, voters may have to fill in the candidate’s name they would like to vote as the mail-in ballot will only include confirmed candidates at the time it is mailed out.
MORE: Vote-by-mail Online Registration (Elections BC)
MORE: Vote-by-mail Instructions (Elections BC)