BC Election 24 October 2026: Date, UK Times and Predictions

British Columbia elects a new legislature on Saturday 24 October 2026, with polls open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Pacific time: in the UK that is 16:00 BST on Saturday to 03:00 GMT on Sunday 25 October, as UK clocks go back while voting is under way. At 07:31 UK time on 21 October 2026, the versus page for Will David Eby win a new term as BC premier? showed 13.5p for Yes.

A price between 0p and 100p is the market's estimate of a chance, so 40p would mean 40%; the answer that comes true settles at 100p and the others at 0p (how to read market probabilities). versus does not say who will win, and this guide is for readers in Great Britain.

Why the vote is on 24 October

The 43rd Parliament was dissolved on 22 September 2026, the Legislative Assembly says, and Elections BC issued writs for all 93 districts that day, just under two years after the last general election on 19 October 2024. Section 23 of B.C.'s Constitution Act sets polling day for the third Saturday in October four years after the previous one, but that fixed date gives way to the Lieutenant Governor's power to dissolve the Assembly sooner.

How 93 seats become a government

Each district elects one member: at the final count, the candidate with the most votes is declared elected (Election Act, section 137), with no second round. A tie, or a margin below one five-hundredth of the ballots considered, triggers a judicial recount (section 139). A majority is 47 of the 93 seats.

Nobody votes for premier directly. The Office of the Premier says the leader of the party with the most MLAs usually becomes premier, and the Lieutenant Governor's office lists choosing a premier and swearing in the premier and cabinet among its duties. In 2024 the BC NDP won 47 seats, the Conservatives 44 and the BC Green Party 2 (Elections BC Statement of Votes).

Parties, leaders and candidates

Elections BC's final candidate list, updated after one withdrawal and one late addition, has 353 names. The Conservative Party stands in all 93 districts and the BC NDP in 92, all but Peace River North; the BC Green Party has 73 candidates, CentreBC 35 and OneBC 33, plus smaller parties, independents and unaffiliated candidates. The leaders of the five parties in the predictions, as named in Elections BC's register of parties of 20 October 2026, are all candidates:

• BC NDP: David Eby, the premier, in Vancouver-Point Grey.
• Conservative Party of British Columbia: Lorne Doerkson, interim leader, in Cariboo-Chilcotin.
• BC Green Party: Emily Lowan, in Saanich North and the Islands.
• CentreBC: Elenore Sturko, in Surrey South.
• OneBC: Dallas Brodie, interim leader, in Vancouver-Quilchena.

Four province-wide predictions

The Eby prediction needs him formally appointed and sworn in as premier as a result of this election, not merely serving as caretaker. With no premier appointed through this election by 11:59 pm Eastern time on 30 June 2027 (04:59 UK time, BST, on Thursday 1 July 2027), it settles No. The province's official announcements decide, backed by consistent reporting from reliable outlets.

Will the NDP end up with the biggest seat haul in B.C.? and Will B.C.'s Conservatives end up as the largest party? rank parties by seats. Valid votes and then the alphabet split any tie, and a seat counts only for the label its winner ran under. Each settles No if another party comes first or if no definite result exists at 11:59 pm Eastern time on 31 March 2027 (04:59 UK time, BST, on Thursday 1 April 2027). Reputable outlets' reports decide when they agree, and Elections BC's published results settle any doubt. At 07:31 UK time on 21 October 2026 the pages showed 12.5p for Yes on the NDP and 87.5p for Yes on the Conservatives.

Which party comes third in British Columbia's election? uses the same order and lists NDP, Conservative, Greens, CentreBC and OneBC; without a definite result by the same cut-off it falls back to Other, none of the five. Matching credible reports decide, and Elections BC wins any conflict. At 07:31 UK time the page showed 94.2p for Greens.

Ten districts with candidate predictions

versus also has 38 Yes or No predictions on single candidates, listed here in Elections BC's order, each with its Elections BC affiliation in short form:

• Courtenay-Comox: Will Cole-Hamilton (NDP), Jason Cook (CentreBC), Brennan Day (Conservative) and Jay Van Oostdam (Green).
• Kelowna Centre: Bill Desrosiers (OneBC), Kristina Loewen (Conservative) and Loyal Wooldridge (NDP).
• Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows: Lisa Beare (NDP), Susan Einarsson (OneBC), Doug Morneau (Conservative) and Jordan Simmons (CentreBC).
• Richmond-Steveston: Robert Evans (independent), Bruce Kong (NDP), Barry Wosk (CentreBC), Keenan Yang (CanWest Party, ballot name CWP) and Gordon Zhang (Conservative).
• Surrey City Centre: Amna Shah (NDP), Raman Sharma (CentreBC), Zeeshan Wahla (Conservative) and Oliver Wildfong (OneBC).
• Surrey-Fleetwood: Tim Binnema (Green), Jagrup Brar (NDP), Paul Brar (CentreBC), Carolyn Hofbauer (OneBC) and Garry Purewal (Conservative).
• Surrey-Guildford: Garry Begg (NDP), Jodi Murphy (Green), Garry Thind (Conservative) and James Yaroshuk (unaffiliated).
• Surrey-Newton: Harj Dhaliwal (Conservative), Harman Preet Singh (CentreBC) and Jessie Sunner (NDP).
• Vernon-Lumby: Kevin Acton (Conservative), Chantel Gibbs (OneBC), Harwinder Sandhu (NDP) and Blair Visscher (Green).

Vancouver-Yaletown has two: Priyan Samarakoone (Green) and Timothy Webster. Elections BC says Webster withdrew, his notice accepted on 8 October; his name stays on the printed ballot and voting places tell voters he has withdrawn. Sam Chandola (CentreBC), Margareta Dovgal (Conservative) and Terry Yung (NDP), also standing there, have no versus prediction.

Each of the 38 settles Yes only if the named person wins that seat at this election, and No for any other winner or no definite result; the cut-off and deciding sources match the seat-count predictions above.

From the polls to the final count, for UK readers

• Saturday 24 October, 16:00 BST: voting places open at 8 a.m. Pacific time, seven hours behind UTC under B.C.'s Interpretation Act, after six days of advance voting from 16 to 21 October.
• Sunday 25 October, 00:59 BST: trading is due to stop on the four province-wide predictions, at 4:59 p.m. on Saturday in B.C.; each settles once its result is clear under its rules (when markets close).
• Sunday 25 October, 02:00 BST: UK clocks go back to 01:00 GMT (GOV.UK).
• Sunday 25 October, 03:00 GMT: polls close, and mail-in packages must have reached Elections BC. Counting then starts, and Elections BC says most advance and polling-day votes are counted that night and calls those results preliminary.
• Sunday 25 October, 03:59 GMT: trading is due to stop on the 38 district predictions.
• 6 to 10 November: the planned final count adds mail-in and some out-of-district votes after eligibility checks, and official results are declared after it, so a close seat can still change and may go to a recount.
• 18 November: the writs are due back, which officially ends the election period.

A tight seat may wait for the final count or a recount before reports agree and its predictions settle. The Eby prediction waits for the formal appointment and swearing-in, whatever the seat totals.

Before you trade

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Frequently asked questions

What time do polls close in the B.C. election, UK time?

At 03:00 GMT on Sunday 25 October 2026, which is 8 p.m. Pacific time on Saturday 24 October. They open at 16:00 BST on the Saturday, and UK clocks go back an hour in between.

How many seats are needed for a majority in B.C.?

47 of the 93. Each district elects one MLA, the candidate with the most votes.

When will the B.C. election result be final?

Election-night figures are preliminary. Elections BC plans the final count, which adds mail-in votes, for 6 to 10 November, and the writs are due back on 18 November.

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