Elections BC (formally the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer of British Columbia) is a non-partisan office of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia responsible for conducting provincial elections, local elections, by-elections, petitions, referendums, and plebiscites in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Its federal equivalent is Elections Canada.

Responsibilities Elections BC is a non-partisan office of the British Columbia Legislature responsible for conducting provincial elections, local elections, by-elections, petitions, referendums, and plebiscites in British Columbia. Elections BC compiles and maintains a list of eligible voters as well as sets and adjusts the boundaries of electoral districts.

Elections BC is also responsible for regulating campaign financing and advertising and the registration of political parties. To retain their official status, political parties must file annual financial reports with Elections BC. Registration entitles parties to have their name on the ballot where they run candidates, issue tax receipts and spend on election campaigns. , 22 political parties are registered in British Columbia.http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/fin/Registered-Political-Parties-Information.pdf Registered Political Parties

In advance of elections, a district electoral officer (DEO) and a deputy district electoral officer (DDEO) represent Elections BC in each electoral district and establish a temporary office to conduct the election, often shortly before the writ of election is dropped by the government.

Elections BC is subject to the following legislation: Election Act (1996), Financial Disclosure Act (1996), Local Government Act (1996), the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act (2014)., and the Recall and Initiative Act (1996).

Scheduled election dates

British Columbia was the first province to legislate fixed dates for elections. The next provincial election is set for October 24, 2026.

There have been instances where the province breaks from scheduled elections, most recently for the 2020 election, which was called by Premier John Horgan on September 21, 2020, and took place on October 24, 2020.

Referendums In 2015, Elections BC spent $5,372,380 to administer the 2015 Metro Vancouver Transportation and Transit Plebiscite, a cost of about $3.44 per voter. A total of 1,572,861 voting packages were issued and 798,262 (51 per cent) returned to Elections BC. About 62 per cent of Metro Vancouver voters rejected a proposal for a half-per-cent sales tax increase to fund a 10-year, $7.5-billion upgrade to transportation by TransLink. About 290,000 voted yes, while 467,000 voted no. About 38,393 ballot packages received by deadline were rejected because they did not meet the requirements of the plebiscite.

Candidacy fees and requirements A candidate is required under the Election Act to gather the signatures of 75 valid voters in their electoral district. A nomination deposit of $250 per candidate is required. Candidates who receive 15 per cent of the total vote receive a full refund. All others forfeit the deposit.

Chief electoral officers Upon being appointed as chief electoral officer, the person is required to forfeit their right to vote in elections they oversee. They may not be a member of a political party or contribute to candidate campaigns. There have been eight chief electoral officers of Elections BC (seven men and one woman). +List of chief electoral officers of British ColumbiaNameIn officeFrederick Harold HurleyApril 1, 1947June 1, 1968Kenneth Loudon MortonJune 1, 1968October 1, 1979Harry Morris GoldbergApril 15, 1980May 2, 1990Robert A. PattersonMay 2, 1990June 6, 2002Harry NeufeldNovember 7, 2002June 5, 2010Keith ArcherSeptember 21, 2011May 1, 2018Anton BoegmanJune 1, 2018November 7, 2025Shipra VermaNovember 12, 2025present

Election expenses

Election yearTotal election expensesElectoral division costCEO office costVoter registration costElectors on listAverage cost / electorTurnoutPercentageSources 1996 $15,574,526 $8,891,749 $5,186,654 $1,496,123 2,227,424 $6.99 1,592,655 71.5% http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/1996-SOVGeneralElection.pdf General Election Report 1996 2001 $18,129,588 $11,607,098 $5,186,654 $1,615,849 2,254,920 $8.00 1,599,765 70.95% http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/2001GEResults/2001-SOVGeneralElection.pdf General Election Results 2001http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/2001_arep.pdf Elections BC Annual Report 2001http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/ceofin2001.pdf Report of the Chief Electoral Officer on the 37th Provincial General Election 2005 $22,909,644 $13,624,872 $9,284,772 $3,244,918 2,845,284 $8.00 1,774,269 58.19% http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/2005GEResults/SOV-GEcomplete.pdf Elections BC, Statement of Votes, 38th Provincial General Election, May 17, 2005http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/2005-CEOreportRefOnElectoralReform.pdf Report of the Chief Electoral Officer, 38th Provincial General Election, 2005 Referendum on Electoral Reform, May 17, 2005http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/2005-TargetedEnumeration.pdf Report of the Chief Electoral Officer, Targeted Enumeration and Voter Registration 2009 $35,260,610 $21,170,173 $14,090,437 $2,912,687 3,238,737 $12.00 1,651,567 51% http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/2009GE/2009-GE-SOV.pdf Elections BC, Statement of Votes 39th Provincial General Election, May 12, 2009http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/2009EnumerationReport.pdf Elections BC, Report of the Chief Electoral Officer on the 2009 Enumeration 2013 $34,808,125 $22,874,036 $11,934,089 $5,982,981 3,116,626 $10.96 1,813,912 57.1% http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/2013-General-Election-Report.pdf Elections BC, Report of the Chief Electoral Officer on the 40th Provincial General Election, May 14, 2013 2017 $39,450,034 $22,407,049 $17,042,985 $6,272,500 3,246,647 $12.15 1,986,371 61.2% 2020 $51,603,932 $29,400,057 $22,203,875 3,524,812 $14.64 1,898,553 53.9% 2024 $82,418,579 $35,074,231 $47,344,348 3,609,288 $22.84 2,109,658 58.45%

Note: Enumeration or voter registration expenses were included in total election expenses up to the 2001 election. As of 2005, Elections BC excluded enumeration expenses from its calculation of total election expenses.

Candidates per election

Election yearTotal candidatesElectoral districtsPolitical partiesRegistered constituency associationsSources 1991 317 75 http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/96_arep.pdf Elections BC 1995/1996 Annual Report 1996 513 75 18 142 2001 456 79 28 205 http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/2001GEResults/2001-SOVGeneralElection.pdf Elections BC, Statement of Votes, 37th Provincial General Election, May 16, 2001 2005 412 79 45 163 http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/0405AnnualReport.pdf Elections BC Annual Report 2004/2005 2009 345 85 32 128 http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/0809-Annual-Report.pdf Elections BC Annual Report 2008/2009 2013 376 85 26 159 http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/AR1213SP1316.pdf Elections BC Annual Report 2012/2013 2017 371 87 28 2020 332 87 28 2024 322 93 13

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