Election day has arrived and voters in the Shuswap like the rest of British Columbia will be going to the polls to vote for their preferred MLA candidate.
Polls opened at 8 a.m. and will remain open until 8 p.m. this evening.
The 2020 provincial election will likely be one for the history books, already seeing a number of records broken when it comes to voter turnout.
Roughly 681,000 people cast their ballot during the seven days of advanced voting that ended Wednesday, compared to 614,389 in 2017.
Meanwhile, 478,900 returned vote-by-mail packages had been received by Elections BC by Oct. 22, representing 66 per cent of the packages requested.
It is expected that some ridings will see preliminary results as to which candidate will likely take a seat in the B.C. Legislature by the end of day Saturday. Meanwhile, close races will have to wait until mid-November for the winner to be declared, once mail-in ballots are counted by Elections BC officials after Nov. 6.
Haven’t voted? There’s still time. Here’s what you need to know:
Polling locations:
Voting places will be available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time.
5th Ave Seniors Activity Centre — 170 5 Ave SE, Salmon Arm
Armstrong Centennial Hall — 3305 Pleasant Valley Rd, Armstrong
Armstrong Odd Fellows Hall — 3005 Wood Ave, Armstrong
Desert Cove Rec Centre — 1 St N, Vernon
Eagle Bay Community Hall — 4326 Eagle Bay Rd
Enderby Senior’s Centre — 1101 George St, Enderby
Falkland Community Hall — 5706 97 Hwy, Falkland
Gleneden Community Hall — 4901 50 St NW, Salmon Arm
Grandview Bench Hall — 607 Grandview Bench Rd, Salmon Arm
Grindrod Rec Hall — 6920 Young St, Grindrod
Kingfisher Community Hall — 3337 Enderby Mabel Lake Rd
Lakeview Centre — 7703 Squilax-Anglemont Rd
Malakwa Community Learning Centre — 3994 Malakwa Rd
North Canoe Elementary School — 6451 50 St NE, Salmon Arm
North Shuswap Commnity Hall — 5447 Celista Park Rd, Celista
Notch Hill Town Hall — 1639 Notch Hill Rd
Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Hall — 705 Cherry Ave, Sicamous
Ranchero Elementary School — 6285 Ranchero Dr E, Salmon Arm
Riverside Comm Hall — 3784 Trinity Valley Rd
Salmon Arm Community Centre — 2550 10 Ave NE, Salmon Arm
Scotch Creek-Lee Creek Fire Hall — 3852 Squilax-Anglemont Rd, Scotch Creek
Seymour Arm Comm Hall — 1306 Seymour Arm Bay Rd
Shuswap Lake Estates — 2405 Centennial Dr, Blind Bay
Silver Creek Community Hall — 3048 Hornsberger Rd
Sorrento Drop In Society — 1148 Passchendaele Rd, Sorrento
Sunnybrae Seniors Centre — 3595 Sunnybrae-Canoe Pt Rd
White Lake Hall — 3617 Parri Rd
Candidates running in the riding:
Voter registration:
While eligible voters don’t have to register ahead of time to take part in the election, Elections BC recommends British Columbians sign up ahead of time in order to avoid lengthy lineups.
Voters can register or update their information online at elections.bc.ca/ovr or by calling 1-800-661-8683. Registration closed on Sept. 26.
To be eligible, British Columbians must be able to show one of the following pieces of identification:
A B.C. driver’s licence
A B.C. Identification Card
A B.C. Services Card, with photo
A Certificate of Indian Status
Another card issued by the B.C. government, or Canada, that shows your name, photo and address
Health rules for voting during COVID-19:
All voting places and district electoral offices will have protective measures in place, including:
Physical distancing
Capacity limits
Election officials wearing personal protective equipment (such as masks and face-visors)
Protective barriers
Hand sanitizing stations
Frequent cleaning of voting stations and frequently touched surfaces
Election workers trained on safe workplace guidelines and pandemic protocols
– with files from Ashley Wadhwani