British Columbians vote in snap election as final polls show Conservatives ahead

ASM, Philippine Canadian Inquirer
October 25, 2026

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — British Columbians are voting in a provincial election on October 24, with the final polls of the campaign showing the BC Conservatives ahead of Premier David Eby’s New Democrats.

Voters will elect 93 members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), each representing one electoral district, or riding. A party needs 47 seats to form a majority government.

Polling stations are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Pacific time. Canadian citizens can vote if they are 18 or older on October 24 and have lived in British Columbia since April 23, 2026. Elections BC’s Where to Vote app lists voting places across the province.

An early election call

The election was called on September 22, two years ahead of schedule. Eby first said he needed a new mandate to deal with challenges posed by U.S. President Donald Trump. On October 23, he said the vote was also needed to end the frustrations of a “stalled out” legislature, where the NDP held a one-seat majority.

The Conservatives are led by interim leader Lorne Doerkson. The BC Green Party is led by Emily Lowan.

In the 2024 election, the NDP won 47 seats, exactly the number needed for a majority. The Conservatives won 44 and the Greens two.

Final polls point to a five-point gap

Three polling firms released surveys in the last days of the campaign, and each showed the Conservatives ahead among decided voters.

Leger’s poll, conducted October 20 to 22, put the Conservatives at 44 per cent, the NDP at 39 per cent and the Greens at 13 per cent. An Ipsos poll conducted over the same dates produced identical figures. Research Co., which surveyed 802 likely voters from October 21 to 23, found the Conservatives at 44 per cent, the NDP at 40 per cent and the Greens at 10 per cent.

Leger’s results also showed more voters settling on a choice. The Conservative lead grew from two points in the firm’s October 9 to 12 survey, and the share of undecided respondents fell by half, from 12 per cent to six per cent.

Regional and voter divides

Leger found the Conservatives leading 44 to 40 per cent in Metro Vancouver. Vancouver Island was virtually tied, with the NDP at 40 per cent and the Conservatives at 39 per cent. Elsewhere in the province, the Conservatives led 46 to 36 per cent.

The Conservatives’ widest advantage was among voters aged 35 to 54. The Greens drew 20 per cent support among those aged 18 to 34.

Leader ratings shifted late in the campaign. Research Co. found Eby’s approval among likely voters fell to 44 per cent, down five points since mid-October, while Doerkson’s rose to 48 per cent and Lowan’s to 46 per cent.

Advance turnout and counting

Elections BC recorded 891,348 ballots during advance voting from October 16 to 21, nearly 24 per cent of the province’s 3,738,182 registered voters. The total was lower than in the 2024 election but well above 2020 levels.

Results may take longer than in 2024. Elections BC said ballots cast on election day will be counted by hand, citing the short timeline and logistical demands of an unscheduled election. Advance ballots, counted by electronic tabulators, are expected to be reported first, with hand-counted results starting to come in around 9 p.m. Pacific time.

Mail-in and absentee ballots will not be part of the preliminary count. Elections BC plans to conduct the final count from November 6 to 10, followed by Return Day on November 18, when the results are made official.