Elections BC begins final count with Ladysmith-Oceanside lead flipped to Conservatives
Elections BC began the final count of about 150,000 mail-in, absentee and assisted phone ballots on November 6, 2026. The Conservative lead in Ladysmith-Oceanside has reversed from the initial count.
Reported. A news outlet found this. voche.me names the outlet and links its report. Read the original report on timescolonist.com.
Elections BC began the final count of about 150,000 mail-in, absentee and assisted telephone ballots on November 6, 2026. The Conservative Party of BC leads in 64 of 93 districts, with 864,291 total votes and 48.08 per cent of the vote, as of 12:00 p.m. Pacific on November 6, according to Elections BC. In one of the province's closest ridings, the lead has changed hands since the initial count on October 24.
Ladysmith-Oceanside lead reverses
As of 12:00 p.m. Pacific on November 6, Conservative candidate Kris McNichol leads Ladysmith-Oceanside with 13,426 votes, ahead of NDP incumbent Stephanie Higginson with 13,331 votes, a margin of 95 votes. On election night, Higginson had led McNichol by 13 votes in the initial count.
Higginson told The Canadian Press, as reported by the Victoria Times Colonist, that she has been watching the count closely.
"I feel like a bag of nerves," Higginson said.
She said she remains focused on what matters. "I feel like at the end of this process, no matter what happens, for me personally I will have my family and my home and my health, and that's a lot more than most people right now."
Elections BC will conduct a mandatory recount in Ladysmith-Oceanside because the margin is fewer than 100 votes.
Other close ridings
In Burnaby South-Metrotown, NDP incumbent Paul Choi leads Conservative David Xie by 70 votes, 5,819 to 5,749 as of 12:00 p.m. Pacific on November 6. Elections BC will also conduct a mandatory recount in this riding.
In Cowichan Valley, Conservative Bert Chen leads NDP Debra Toporowski by 154 votes, 11,104 to 10,950. Chen told The Canadian Press he will witness the count in Duncan, B.C., and described the process as routine. "It really is just business as usual," he said.
In Kelowna Centre, Conservative Kristina Loewen leads NDP Loyal Wooldridge by 139 votes, 10,884 to 10,745. All figures are from Elections BC as of 12:00 p.m. Pacific.
Overall results as final count continues
The BC NDP leads in 27 districts with 671,803 votes and 37.37 per cent. The BC Green Party leads in 2 districts with 196,956 votes and 10.96 per cent. The final count covers mail-in ballots and absentee ballots submitted at voting places outside a voter's home riding, as well as assisted telephone ballots. Voters who submitted ballots this way will not be counted twice: Elections BC checks each certification envelope against the voters list before opening it.
Elections BC said final results will be posted no later than November 10. Victoria News reported on November 5 that Conservative MLAs are scheduled to be sworn in on November 19, Green Party MLAs on November 23, and NDP MLAs on November 26. The writs are to be returned on November 18. The Elections BC results page at results.elections.bc.ca is updated every 30 minutes during the count.
Questions this story answers
When will the BC election final count be complete?
Elections BC said final results will be posted no later than Tuesday, November 10, 2026. The final count began on November 6 and covers about 150,000 mail-in, absentee and assisted telephone ballots not counted on election night.
What ridings are closest in the BC final count?
As of November 6, four ridings have tight margins. In Ladysmith-Oceanside, Conservative Kris McNichol leads NDP incumbent Stephanie Higginson by 95 votes (13,426 to 13,331). In Burnaby South-Metrotown, NDP incumbent Paul Choi leads Conservative David Xie by 70 votes (5,819 to 5,749). In Cowichan Valley, Conservative Bert Chen leads NDP Debra Toporowski by 154 votes (11,104 to 10,950). In Kelowna Centre, Conservative Kristina Loewen leads NDP Loyal Wooldridge by 139 votes (10,884 to 10,745). All figures are from Elections BC as of 12:00 p.m. Pacific on November 6, 2026.
Which ridings will have an automatic recount?
Elections BC will conduct mandatory recounts in Ladysmith-Oceanside and Burnaby South-Metrotown because the margin in each riding was fewer than 100 votes at the close of the initial count. Recounts are conducted by the district electoral officer.
What is the overall Conservative Party lead in the BC final count?
As of 12:00 p.m. Pacific on November 6, 2026, Elections BC shows the Conservative Party of BC leading in 64 of 93 districts, with 864,291 total votes counted and 48.08 per cent of the vote. The BC NDP leads in 27 districts with 671,803 votes and 37.37 per cent. The BC Green Party leads in 2 districts with 196,956 votes and 10.96 per cent. These are final-count figures and will continue to be updated as counting progresses.
What happened in Ladysmith-Oceanside between the initial and final count?
In the initial count on October 24, 2026, NDP candidate Stephanie Higginson led Conservative Kris McNichol by 13 votes. As of the November 6 update from Elections BC, McNichol leads Higginson by 95 votes, 13,426 to 13,331. The count in this riding is continuing and Elections BC will conduct a mandatory recount because the margin is fewer than 100 votes.
When will Conservative MLAs be sworn in?
Victoria News reported on November 5, 2026, citing Elections BC information, that Conservative MLAs are scheduled to be sworn in on November 19, 2026, Green Party MLAs on November 23, and NDP MLAs on November 26. The writs are to be returned on November 18.
What is MLA School and who attended?
The BC Legislative Assembly runs a program called MLA School to prepare newly elected members for their responsibilities before they take their seats. Conservative candidate Bert Chen, who leads in Cowichan Valley, took part in MLA School in Victoria this week, as reported by the Victoria Times Colonist. Chen said he found the program useful regardless of the final count result.
How does Elections BC prevent voters from being counted twice in the final count?
Elections BC said each mail-in or absentee ballot is sealed in a certification envelope. Before counting, staff check each envelope against the voters list to confirm the voter is eligible and has not already voted. Only after that check is the envelope opened and the ballot counted. Elections BC said this process is important for election integrity.
Sources
The pages this story draws on. Open one to check a claim yourself.
- Victoria Times Colonist — final count begins, November 5, 2026timescolonist.com
- Victoria News — 150K ballots still to count, November 5, 2026vicnews.com
- Elections BC — final count results, as of 12:00 p.m. Pacific November 6, 2026results.elections.bc.ca
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