British Columbians will be heading to the polls on October 24, two years early after Premier David Eby called for a snap provincial election. The announcement was made on September 22.
If you are a Canadian citizen, at least 18 years old, and a resident of BC since April 26, 2026, you can vote. Advance voting is open from October 16 to 21. Polls are open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
BC voters will elect 93 Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs), who will each represent an electoral district and have a seat in the provincial legislature. 355 MLA candidates across BC’s electoral districts are running. There are 10 parties campaigning for seats, with 15 candidates independent or unrepresented.
You’ll be able to vote for one candidate in your district. A party needs 47 seats to form a majority government. The leader of that party becomes premier.
Why an early election?
In parliamentary governments, a snap, or early, election can be called by the head of state, ahead of regularly scheduled elections and without as much notice. They allow governments to respond to political crises such as internal divisions or policy failures, or get renewed public approval when pursuing major policies.
For this snap election, Eby cited US tariffs and “Trump-style politics” on the right as major threats to the province. “Donald Trump is attacking our workers. He’s targeting our businesses, and he is threatening our sovereignty,” he stated at the Victoria Government House. At the October 14 leadership debate, Eby elaborated that the NDP only had a one-vote majority, and some members were voting from hospital beds, which compromised the government’s abilities.
Campaigning for the provincial snap election co-occurred with this year’s regularly-scheduled municipal elections, which happened on October 17. These general elections include electing mayors, city councillors, and school board trustees. Some candidates reported that the overlap of two elections is confusing voters, and drawing vital staffing and public attention from their campaigns. Prior to Eby’s announcement, the The Union for BC Municipalities implored the province to “uphold the principle of separate periods for local and provincial elections.” Cori Ramsey, a candidate for city council in Prince George, told CBC, some voters had the election dates confused.
Here’s a look at the candidates for premier and their parties. Visit bc.locallink.ca, a non-partisan resource that contains information on candidates in all 93 ridings, their platforms, and how their parties voted, with sources cited.
Please note that some of these parties do not have candidates in every riding. Voters often expect to vote for the party whose leader they want as premier. To see approved candidates in your riding and make an informed decision ahead of time, visit elections.bc.ca.
Lorne Doerkson, BC Conservatives
Doerksen was recently named as the interim leader of the BC Conservatives on September 20 after a series of changes to the party’s leadership. He has represented the Cariboo-Chilcotin electoral district as MLA since 2020. Doerksen’s Conservatives are running on a plan that includes cutting $1,000 from the provincial income tax and removing provincial sales tax on Canadian alcohol. They are also planning to repeal the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, remove the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity education resources, invest in emergency rooms and nurse recruitment, and suspend new taxes for BC residents, among other points of action.
David Eby, BC NDP
Eby is the current premier of BC and leader of the BC NDP since 2022. In the 2024 provincial election, Eby’s New Democrats won the majority by a one-seat margin. In this election, the NDP’s announced platform planks involve taxing millionaires to fund BC healthcare, adding regulations to limit the rise of grocery prices, implementing a tax on unsold condo units, temporarily reducing the fuel tax by 10 cents, and supporting Carney’s counter-measures in the ongoing trade war with the US, among other promises.
Emily Lowan, BC Green Party
Lowan is the leader of the BC Green Party as of 2025. She is running for MLA for Saanich North and the Islands, and does not currently hold a seat in legislature. The BC Green Party is running a campaign based on building “26,000 permanently affordable, non-market homes a year,” implementing a wealth tax on individuals making more than $50 million per year to help pay provincial debt and fund public resources like free transit, stopping new fossil fuel development, and building primary care institutions called Community Health Centres in every region. She also plans to increase the social and disability assistance rates.
Dallas Brodie, OneBC
Brodie has served as the interim leader of OneBC since June 2025. She has served as the MLA representing the district of Vancouver-Quilchena. Brodie was a member of the BC Conservatives, but was removed from the party for “mocking residential school testimony.” OneBC’s campaign includes repealing the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Indian Act, implementing 25% tax breaks across all tax brackets, approving a “pipeline to the Port of Prince Rupert or Kitimat,” increasing the allowable yearly cut in BC forests, and removing Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity education resources.
Elenore Sturko, CentreBC
Sturko is the recently named leader of her party, assuming the role as leader of CentreBC on September 22. She was first elected as the MLA for the Surrey South electoral district in 2022, and elected as MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale in 2024. Sturko joined CentreBC on September 18. CentreBC’s platform planks includes increasing the renter’s annual tax credit by $200, creating 25,000 openings in school classrooms by 2031, and hiring “100 additional provincial RCMP a year for five years.” She also plans to implement “a BC law with age limits and safety duties for social media and AI companion chatbots by 2027,” and provide a family doctor or nurse practitioner team for “everyone who wants one” by the end of 2031.
