The Fraser Valley's 2024 BC Election Hub

How to vote, candidate lists, and more on the provincial election in Langley, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission and the rest of the Fraser Valley

Author

Grace Kennedy
September 23, 2024

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On Saturday, Oct. 19, British Columbian voters will head out to the polls to select their new provincial government.

Below, we’ve collected everything voters in the Fraser Valley will want to know about the election, including who is running, how to vote, and how to figure out what riding you are in.

The parties

There are three major parties fielding candidates in the upcoming provincial election: the BC NDP, the BC Conservatives, and the BC Green Party. There are also other smaller parties and independent candidates. You can find basic information about each party and their platform below.

BC NDP

Leader: David Eby

Website: bcndp.ca

Seats won in 2020: 57

The BC NDP won the last provincial election with a majority. The party increased its vote share in the Fraser Valley, winning five of the region's eight seats. MLAs Megan Dykeman, Andrew Mercier, Pam Alexis, Dan Coulter and Kelli Paddon are all seeking a second term. In Langley, Liberal MP John Aldag resigned from the House of Commons and is seeking a provincial seat with the NDP.

The party released its platform on Thursday, Oct. 4. Platform promises include a $1,000 grocery rebate, removing no pet clauses for purpose-built rentals, tying speeding tickets to car value if the vehicle is worth $150,000 or more, and increasing tax incentives for film companies.

BC Conservatives

Leader: John Rustad

Seats won in 2020: 0

The BC Conservatives became the major right-wing opponent to the NDP after BC United (née BC Liberal) leader Kevin Falcon dissolved his party in advance of the election. BC Liberal MLA Bruce Banman crossed the floor to the Conservative party during his last term.

The party is releasing its platform in stages, beginning on Thursday, Oct. 3. So far, the BC Conservatives have promised to expand the Iron Workers' Memorial Bridge, study regional rail in the Fraser Valley, replace the George Massey Tunnel, and end ICBC’s monopoly on basic auto insurance.

BC Green Party

Leader: Sonia Furstenau

Website: bcgreens2024.ca

Seats won in 2020: 2

BC Green leader Sonia Furstenau is the only incumbent on the party's roster. No Green party candidates won in the Fraser Valley last election. The party has not yet announced candidates for every BC riding.

The BC Green’s platform was released on Tuesday, Oct. 1. It includes increasing social assistance rates, expanding social housing, protecting old growth forests, expanding safer supply, and increasing the carbon tax.

Others

This election will not include members of the BC United Party (formerly the BC Liberals) after leader Kevin Falcon dissolved the campaign and threw his support behind Rustad’s Conservatives. (Read Chawathil podcaster Aaron Pete’s interview with Kevin Falcon here.)

One former BC United candidate, Langley’s Karen Long, will be running as an independent in the Fraser Valley for this election. Other former BC United candidates have ended their campaigns. They include Jackie Tegart, BC United’s long-time MLA in the Fraser-Nicola riding. Long-time Abbotsford MLA Mike de Jong, also with BC United, is not running in the provincial election, as he is seeking a federal seat instead.

The BC Libertarian Party will also have a presence in the Fraser Valley, with leader Alex Joehl running in Langley-Abbotsford. You can read that party’s platform here.

How to vote

If you are a Canadian citizen over the age of 18, and have lived in British Columbia since April 18, you are eligible to vote in the upcoming provincial election.

There are four ways to vote: at your district electoral office, by mail, on advance voting days, or on Oct. 19.

By mail

Voting by mail is available to all voters in BC—there are no special requirements to get a mail-in ballot. The ballots are issued with step-by-step instructions.

People can request a mail-in voting package online or by phone before 8pm on Sunday, Oct. 13. The deadline ensures there is enough time for the ballot to be mailed to you, and for you to mail the ballot back.

Elections BC must receive your mail-in vote no later than 8pm on Saturday, Oct. 19. Late votes will not be counted. Voters can return their package in the postage-paid return envelope, by dropping it off at their local district electoral office, or by dropping it off at an advance voting or general polling station.

If you do not register in advance, you will need to prove your identify and residential address by either uploading acceptable ID to Elections BC’s secure upload system or including photocopies in your voting package. (Details on how to register in advance at below.)

Advance voting

Advance voting will take place over the Thanksgiving long weekend, from Thursday, Oct. 10 to Wednesday, Oct. 16. Advance voting will be closed on Thanksgiving Monday. Voting is open between 8am and 8pm each day.

Like voters on election day, advance voters will need to bring ID with them to the polling station. Voters can either:

  • Bring a government-issued photo ID that has your name and address. (Examples: BC Driver’s License, BC Identification Card, BC Services Card with photo, a Certificate of Indian Status, etc.) OR

  • Bring two pieces of ID that both show your name (one must also show your current address. (Examples: birth certificate, passport, Canada Child Tax Benefit statement, student card, bank statement, Where to Vote card, residential lease, report card) OR

  • If you don’t have identification, you can have another person vouch for your identify. (Elections BC specifies which people can vouch for another voter.)

A full list of acceptable ID is available on the Elections BC website.

All voters can submit their ballot at any polling station in British Columbia. Preliminary polling stations are shown Where to vote.

Election Day

General voting will take place on Saturday, Oct. 19 from 8am to 8pm across BC. Voters will need to bring ID with them to the polling station. Voters can either:

  • Bring a government-issued photo ID that has your name and address. (Examples: BC Driver’s License, BC Identification Card, BC Services Card with photo, a Certificate of Indian Status, etc.) OR

  • Bring two pieces of ID that both show your name (one must also show your current address. (Examples: birth certificate, passport, Canada Child Tax Benefit statement, student card, bank statement, Where to Vote card, residential lease, report card) OR

  • If you don’t have identification, you can have another person vouch for your identify. (Elections BC specifies which people can vouch for another voter.)

A full list of acceptable ID is available on the Elections BC website.

All voters can submit their ballot at any polling station in British Columbia. Preliminary polling stations are shown in Where to vote.

District electoral office

People who don’t want to wait in line during advance voting or on election day, and don’t want to register to vote by mail can go in person to one of Elections BC’s district electoral offices. Offices are open from 9am to 5pm on weekdays, and on Saturdays from 10am to 4pm. They are open longer during advance voting, and are open until 4pm on election day.

There is one district electoral office in each riding. Their locations are available online.

Register in advance

Although it is not required, Elections BC strongly suggests voters register for the election in advance. Registered voters will be mailed information about the provincial election, include details on where to vote locally and when to vote. People can register online, by phone, or by mail.

Registration closes on Monday, Oct. 7. People who did not register in advance are still able to vote. They simply won’t receive a Where to Vote card in the mail.

Teens who are not yet eligible to vote can register as a future voter, so they are automatically added to the provincial voters list when they turn 18. Details are online.

Where to vote

In British Columbia, any voter can vote at any polling station for the provincial election. But it might be easiest to find one closest to you.

Elections BC has released a preliminary list of advance voting locations. These include six polling stations in Abbotsford, six in Chilliwack, five in Langley, two in Mission, one in Agassiz, one in Hope, and one in Lake Errock. The advance voting locations are subject to change. Not every location will be open on every day of advanced voting, although all will be open from 8am to 8pm.

To see exactly where to vote in your electoral district, find your riding below.

Elections BC has also released a preliminary list of election day voting locations. They include 37 polling stations in Langley, 32 in Abbotsford, 22 in Chilliwack, seven in Mission, two in Agassiz, one in Cultus Lake, one in Harrison, one in Dewdney, one in Lake Errock, and one in Hope. The polling stations will be open from 8am to 8pm on Saturday, Oct. 19.

To see exactly where to vote in your electoral district, find your riding below.

New election procedures mean that if you are voting in an area outside of your local riding, you will get a printed ballot with your riding’s candidates. That ballot will be counted on election night, unlike in previous elections when it wasn’t counted until the final count a few days later.

Find your riding

This year, the provincial electoral boundaries have changed. (You can read our past story on that process here.)

If you don’t know your new riding, you can use Election BC’s My District App to find your riding. Simply input your home address into the search bar at the top, and it will show you which riding you are in.

If you know which riding you are in, you can find our localized election hubs below for information on who is running, where to vote, and upcoming events.

Langley: Election Hub

Abbotsford: Election Hub

Mission: Election Hub

Chilliwack: Election Hub

Eastern Fraser Valley: Election Hub

Find your candidates

Want to skip right to the good stuff? Find out who is running in your riding by checking out our local election hubs below.

Langley: Election Hub

Abbotsford: Election Hub

Mission: Election Hub

Chilliwack: Election Hub

Eastern Fraser Valley: Election Hub

Results

The Current will have live updates on election night, focusing on each of the Fraser Valley’s nine ridings. You will be able to find links to those live updates in each local election hub closer to Oct. 19. You can also find results on Elections BC’s website on Oct. 19.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter to get the results emailed to your inbox once the dust has settled on the night of the election.

Want to stay up to date on all the Fraser Valley’s election news? Subscribe for free to get the Fraser Valley Current in your email every weekday morning.

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