---
title: "Elections BC says it will count election day ballots by hand, as it did in the 2020 snap election"
description: "Elections BC confirmed that ballots cast on October 24 general voting day will be counted by hand, while advance and district office ballots will use tabulators. Advance results are expected first on election night."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/news/elections-bc-hand-count-election-day-october-2026"
last_updated: "2026-10-22T23:48:04.789Z"
---

Ballots cast on general voting day, October 24, 2026, will be counted by hand, Elections BC confirmed to CHEK News on October 21. Advance voting ballots and votes cast at district electoral offices will be counted using tabulators, and Elections BC says it expects those results to come in first on election night.

CHEK News reported the story on October 21. The article was written by Laura Brougham.

## What Elections BC said

Elections BC said in a statement to CHEK News: "Ballots cast on Final Voting Day will be counted by hand, as we did in the previous 'snap' election in 2020. This is due to the short timeframes and complex operational logistics of a snap election."

Elections BC also told CHEK News: "We expect results from these voting opportunities to be reported first on election night," referring to advance and district electoral office ballots counted by tabulator.

Elections BC did not say at what time it expects general voting day results to be available.

## Timeline for all ballots

Absentee and mail-in ballots will be counted between November 6 and 10, 2026. CHEK News reported that Elections BC anticipates more than 2 million ballots in total across all categories.

## What an expert told CHEK News

David Black, an associate professor at Royal Roads University, told CHEK News that hand counting has public confidence behind it. "There is actually more public trust in hand counting than there is in electronic tabulation," Black said. He also told CHEK News that both methods are accurate.

## What a voter can do

If you plan to vote on Saturday, October 24, check your voting location at elections.bc.ca before you go. Advance voting has already closed. If you receive a result on election night, bear in mind that absentee and mail-in ballots will not be counted until November 6 to 10, and the final count may differ from the preliminary result.

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