Voter Information
To vote in a local (or school election) you must be a resident elector or a non-resident property elector at the time of voting. Registration for voters will occur on voting days, so please be prepared for waits.
Resident Elector Qualifications:
- Be 18 years or older on General Voting Day;
- Be a Canadian Citizen;
- Be a resident of BC for at least 6 months before General Voting Day;
- Be a resident of the municipality, electoral area, or trustee electoral area on General Voting Day; and
- Not be disqualified under the LGA, VC, SA or any other enactment from voting in an election or be otherwise disqualified by law.
Non-Resident Property Elector Qualifications:
- Not be entitled to register as a resident elector of the municipality or electoral area in question (i.e., cannot vote as both a resident and non-resident property elector in the same municipality or electoral area);
- (For a school district election, not be entitled to register as a resident elector of a trustee electoral area of the school district (a person cannot vote in more than one trustee electoral area or as both a resident and a non-resident property elector in the same school trustee election)(A person may be registered as an elector in only trustee electoral area for any school district));
- Be 18 years of age or older on the day of General Voting Day;
- Be a Canadian citizen;
- Have been a resident of BC for at least 6 months immediately before General Voting Day;
- Have been a registered owner of real property in the subject municipality, regional district electoral area or trustee electoral area for at least 30 days immediately before General Voting Day (September 17, 2026);
- Not be disqualified under the LGA, SA, or any other enactment from voting in an election or be otherwise disqualified by law.
- If, based on land title records, more than one individual owns the property, only one owner can register and that person must have the written consent of a majority of the individual owners (The majority includes the person registering to vote). Form 7-3 Non-Resident Elector Consent Form must be submitted at time of registration/voting.
- Form 7-2 Application for Registration as a Non-Resident Elector must submitted at time of voting, or can be completed on day of voting during registeration.
- Applicant must provide proof that he or she is entitled to register in relation to the real property (eg. Certificate of Title, Property Tax Notice, Property Assessment Notice)
On Voting Day, Resident Electors and Non-Resident Property Electors will be required to provide:
- Full name;
- For resident electors, residential address and mailing address, if the mailing address is different;
- For non-resident property electors, the address or legal description of real property in respect of which the person is registering and the mailing address, if different;
- For non-resident property electors, Form 7-3 Non-Resident Elector Consent Form, if applicable (see above);
- Either your birthdate or the last 6 digits of your social security number; and
- Two (2) pieces of identification with at least one (1) of which includes your signature.
Acceptable identification includes:
- BC Driver’s Licence;
- BC Identification Card;
- BC Care Card or BC Gold Care Card;
- BC Services Card with or without a photo;
- Vehicle Insurance papers;
- Social Insurance Number Card;
- Citizenship Card;
- Property Tax notice;
- Credit car or debit card; or
- Utility bill.
RESOURCES:
Voter’s Guide to Local Elections in BC
The Voter’s Guide is available in other languages (Chinese, Farsi, French, Korean, Punjabi): https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/local-governments/governance-powers/general-local-elections/voting-local-elections
