---
title: "BC Conservatives promise law to separate provincial and municipal election dates"
description: "The BC Conservative Party announced the 'Respect Local Democracy Act' on October 14, 2026, which would bar provincial elections from being held within 60 days of a scheduled municipal election."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/news/bc-conservative-respect-local-democracy-act-2026"
last_updated: "2026-10-17T18:42:31.774Z"
---

The BC Conservative Party announced a policy on October 14, 2026 that would stop provincial elections from being held within 60 days of a scheduled municipal vote, if the party wins on October 24. The Progress reported that Conservative Leader [Lorne Doerkson](/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/lorne-doerkson) named the proposal the "Respect Local Democracy Act."

Doerkson said on October 14: "The provincial campaign has swallowed the local one. Healthcare, public safety, and the cost of living are all critical issues, and the people running for your city hall or your school board deserve their own moment to discuss them."

The BC municipal elections, including the Vancouver vote, are scheduled for October 17, 2026, one week before the BC provincial voting day of October 24.

## What the law would do

The Progress reported that the proposed act would bar any provincial government from calling a scheduled or snap election within 60 days of a municipal election date. Doerkson said the NDP government chose to call the election knowing it would run at the same time as local campaigns. The NDP is the incumbent government and called the 2026 provincial election.

## NDP response

The Progress reported that the BC NDP called the announcement "distraction tactics." The party's response said: "This group of B.C. Conservatives attempted over and over to bring down the government, regardless of timeline." The NDP did not address the specific 60-day window in its response at the time of publication.

The BC Greens had not publicly responded to the policy at the time of publication, according to The Progress report.

## What voters can do

Voters can read about the [Conservative Party of BC](/bc/provincial-2026/parties/conservative-party-of-bc) and review its candidates on this site. Advance voting runs October 16 to 21, 2026. Voting day is October 24. Voters can confirm their voting location at [elections.bc.ca](https://elections.bc.ca/2026-provincial-election/where-to-vote/).

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/bc/provincial-2026/sitemap.md) for all pages.