---
title: "Fewer than half of eligible BC voters cast a ballot on October 24, a record low since at least 1983"
description: "Preliminary figures from Elections BC show 48 per cent of eligible voters participated in the October 24 provincial election, down about 10 percentage points from 2024 and the lowest recorded in modern BC provincial elections."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/news/bc-election-record-low-voter-turnout-2026"
last_updated: "2026-10-28T17:59:32.592Z"
---

Preliminary figures from Elections BC show 48 per cent of eligible British Columbia voters cast a ballot in the October 24, 2026 provincial election, the lowest recorded in modern BC provincial elections, Global News reported on October 26. The figure is down about 10 percentage points from the 2024 election.

The BC NDP received more than 270,000 fewer votes than it did in the 2024 election. The BC Conservatives received about 49,000 fewer votes than in 2024.

## What the figures show

Elections BC's preliminary figures cover ballots cast in person on voting day. Mail-in, assisted telephone and absentee ballots are counted during the final count, set for November 6 to 10, 2026, and may change the totals.

Global News included a graph of BC provincial election turnout from 1983 to 2026, showing 2026 as the lowest year.

## What a researcher said

Stewart Prest, a political science lecturer at UBC, told Global News the record-low turnout reflects a campaign that failed to motivate many voters who had previously supported the NDP.

"This is Mr. Eby's low-turnout election to own, and this is going to be part of his legacy," Prest said.

He said the NDP's decision to call an election two years after its 2024 majority appeared politically unnecessary to some voters. He said the party's failure to present a clear vision on housing affordability and jobs may have discouraged its own supporters from turning out. Some Conservative voters, he said, were motivated by frustration with the NDP's record rather than by a positive choice.

Prest said voters are more likely to participate when they believe their vote matters and when governments deliver on issues such as housing and jobs.

Follow the final count, which will add mail-in and absentee ballots to each district's total, at Elections BC's results page at results.elections.bc.ca, starting November 6, 2026.

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