By many accounts, it has been a confusing election year for a large chunk of British Columbians.
First there was confusion over the resurgent BC Conservative Party, which, at least as the provincial NDP asserts, people are confusing for the federal Conservatives led by Pierre Poilievre.
The NDP is reportedly still working to get the B.C. distinction added to the ballot next to Conservative candidates—a desperation play unlikely to have much effect come voting day.
There was confusion about the former BC Liberals, which rebranded as BC United last year—so much so the party quickly collapsed in a heap of unclear messaging and bungled branding.
Among local candidates, there is apparently some confusion over the need for access and transparency, as well as the role newspapers play in elections, and how advertising dollars impact editorial coverage (here’s something we shouldn’t have to say, but they absolutely don’t—advertising with a newspaper does not guarantee you exclusive or favourable coverage, and if you believe it does, it seriously calls into question your judgment and ability to represent your constituents).
And among casual voters, there is apparently a more general layer of confusion about our political system. As one NDP canvasser relayed on Twitter, at least one constituent proudly claimed they were “voting for Kamala.”
Yes, the American presidential candidate. No, said constituent is not American.
Editorial inboxes are stuffed to the brim with competing press releases, all of them promising the world, or pieces of it, without really offering any realistic specifics.
Attack ads on the TV, multi-coloured lawn signs peppering every spare piece of real estate through the corridor.
You can be forgiven for calling it exhausting, annoying, infuriating, even.
All those things may be true, but it is vitally important—and it will all be over soon. B.C.’s provincial election is Saturday, Oct. 19.
If you’ve somehow managed to avoid it all to this point, now is your last chance to join the political circus and cast a ballot.
It’s really quite easy. You likely received a voter card in the mail, but if not, voting takes place from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. this Saturday at Myrtle Philip Community School.
If you’re 18 or older as of Oct. 19, a resident of B.C. since April 18, and a Canadian citizen, you are eligible to vote—just make sure you take your ID to the polls.
If you don’t have ID, you can have someone vouch for you—read more at elections.bc.ca/id.
Advance polls have already closed in Whistler, and according to Elections BC, on Thursday, Oct. 10, more ballots were cast than on any other advance voting day in the province’s history: 171,381, to the previous record 126,491 set in 2017.
All told, 477,095 people have already voted in the province, of a total 3,550,017 registered voters, with advance voting still taking place in some communities as of press time.
In West Vancouver-Sea to Sky, 4,679 people had cast an advance ballot as of Oct. 15, of 43,151 registered voters.
Province-wide, voter turnout has been on a steady decline for decades.
In 1996, 71.5 per cent of all eligible voters cast a ballot, which dropped slightly to 70.95 in the 2001 general election, then again to 62.36 per cent in 2005.
In 2009, voter turnout dropped to 55.14 per cent, before rebounding in 2013 (57.10 per cent) and 2017 (61.18 per cent).
In 2020, when voters went to the polls in the midst of a pandemic, voter turnout was 53.86 per cent.
If you’re still lost in the confusion, it’s worth taking an hour or two to do some research for yourself.
Start with the party platforms: the NDP’s can be found at bcndp.ca/actionplan, the BC Conservatives’ at conservativebc.ca/ideas, and the Green Party’s at bcgreens2024.ca/2024-platform.
Then see what the local candidates have to say. If you missed last week’s Pique cover feature, you can find it online at piquenewsmagazine.com/cover-stories/piques-2024-bc-election-guide-9641420.
Beyond that, you can revisit Pique’s coverage of local all-candidates debates at piquenewsmagazine.com, or if you’ve got more time on your hands, you can even watch the full Whistler debate on Vimeo: vimeo.com/1014994149.
And with just a little bit of homework, you’ll be perfectly equipped to join the thousands of other British Columbians heading to the polls on Oct. 19.
With a little bit of effort, maybe we can get that turnout back above 60 per cent.
