British Columbians cast 891,348 ballots during six days of advance voting from Oct. 16 to 21, according to turnout figures released by Elections BC. That works out to about 24 per cent of the province’s 3,738,182 registered voters, meaning roughly one in four voters has already had a say before general voting day on Saturday, Oct. 24.
In the Surrey area, Surrey-White Rock recorded the highest advance turnout of the region’s 10 ridings, with 13,557 advance ballots. Together, the 10 Surrey ridings accounted for 81,810 advance ballots over the six days.
Saturday, Oct. 17 was the busiest advance day in the province, with 201,774 ballots cast. The final day of advance voting, Wednesday, Oct. 21, was the second busiest at 178,956, while Sunday, Oct. 18 was the quietest advance day at 105,049 ballots.
The provincial advance total is down from the last election. In 2024, a record 1,002,004 voters cast their ballots at advance voting, according to the report of the Chief Electoral Officer on that election. This year’s advance count of 891,348 is about 11 per cent lower. Elections BC notes that the advance figures count voters at advance voting locations in the district where they voted, and that the numbers reported during the advance period are preliminary and subject to change.
Surrey-White Rock set the pace locally, and it also has the largest voters list of the Surrey ridings, with 46,293 registered voters as of Oct. 14. Its 13,557 advance ballots work out to about 29 per cent of its registered voters, the highest share among the 10 Surrey ridings as well as the highest count. After Surrey-White Rock, the next highest Surrey totals came from the city’s southern and eastern ridings.
Surrey South recorded 9,727 advance ballots, followed by Surrey-Cloverdale with 9,296 and Surrey-Serpentine River with 9,199. Surrey-Fleetwood reported 8,548 advance ballots and Surrey-Guildford reported 7,830.
In the city’s northern and central ridings, Surrey-Newton recorded 7,028 advance ballots and Surrey City Centre recorded 6,413. Surrey-Panorama reported 5,121 advance ballots, while Surrey North had the lowest advance total in the city at 5,091.
The advance numbers show where early turnout ran strongest, but most of the election will still be decided on Saturday. About three in four registered voters in the province did not vote during the advance period, and every Surrey riding will be won or lost on the ballots cast on general voting day. Advance voting ran on Oct. 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 at voting places across the province.
Polls are open on Saturday, Oct. 24 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Pacific time. On general voting day, voters can cast a ballot at any voting place in the province, not only in their own riding. Voters should bring acceptable identification with them when they go to vote. Voting place locations and voter information are available from Elections BC at elections.bc.ca.
Source: Elections BC, October 23, 2026
