There have been 160,000 British Columbians who have requested mail-in ballots ahead of the October 24 provincial election.

Chief Electoral Officer Anton Boegman said earlier this week that he expects as many as 40 per cent of the ballots cast in the election – roughly 800,000 – could be sent in the mail, a significant increase from the one per cent of people who usually vote that way.

The large increase is because COVID-19 makes this election different from elections in years past. In 2017, there were 6,500 requests for mail-in ballots, and as of just two days ago, there were some 20,000 requests for mail-in ballots.

Elections BC however says the packages sent out don’t represent the ballots that will be considered for counting because some voters may not return their package or get it in on time, before the 8 p.m. deadline on Election Day.

Mail-in ballots won’t be counted for 13 days after the election and Boegman says it is possible that the results could take another five days to calculate.

For people still looking to vote in person, Elections BC says all COVID-19 safety precautions would be taken both on election day and during seven days of advanced polls from October 15 to October 21.

You can visit the Elections BC website for more information on how to register for a mail in ballot.