Elections BC says preliminary election results will be available tomorrow night, but the final results in closer ridings could be fuzzy for several weeks.
Chief electoral officer Anton Boegman says ballots cast tomorrow and ballots cast in the advanced polls will be counted tomorrow night, after polls close at 8 p.m..
But mail-in ballots may take three weeks to count, with final election results currently expected to come out on Nov. 16.
“Usually, 90 per cent of all ballots cast in an election are counted on election night. In this election, it could be between 65 to 70 per cent of all ballots will be counted on election night, with the remainder, perhaps 30-to-35 per cent, counted at final count.”
As of this morning, 480,000 mail-in had been received by Elections BC. That number is expected to grow by the deadline of tomorrow night.
Meanwhile, more than 681,000 people voted in advanced polls across B.C., a 10.3 per cent increase from the provincial election in 2017.
Boegman encourages anyone who hasn’t voted yet to do so, when the polls are from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. He says voters can expect physical distancing at voting stations, capacity limits, sanitization stations, physical barriers and staff who will be wearing personal protective equipment.
“Voting will be similar to getting a cup of take-out coffee, or buying a few groceries at a grocery store, in terms of the time spent and the safety protocols you can find.”
Speaking earlier this week, Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, says as far as she is concerned the five week long campaign went smoothly.