Elections BC reports spike in advance voting during 2024 provincial election

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — More people voted in advance than on the day of the 2024 provincial general election in Peace River North, according to Elections BC.

The agency has released its “statement of votes” for the election, outlining statistics surrounding each of the 2.1 million votes cast across the province.

Nearly 15,100 ballots were reportedly cast in Peace River North, the riding that ultimately elected Jordan Kealy as its MLA. Eighteen ballots were rejected, meaning 15,079 votes were counted.

Kealy, then a member of the BC Conservatives, received 11,213 of those votes, ousting incumbent candidate Dan Davies, who ran independently after the dissolution of the BC United party.

According to the agency, 7,593 votes came from in-district advance voting, alongside an additional 61 advanced votes cast outside the district.

By comparison, 6,547 votes were cast in-district on election day alongside 81 cast outside it.

That lines up with a reported increase in advance voting on the whole. Elections BC says 47 per cent of voters cast their ballot in advance, the most of any election in provincial history.

The most popular voting location was the Fort St. John Seniors Hall, where 6,592 advance ballots were cast, followed by 1,281 more on election day. Five of those ballots were ultimately rejected.

According to Elections BC, another detailed breakdown of the 2024 provincial election will come later this spring in a report from the agency’s chief electoral officer.