Opinion: BC votes twice in eight days. Local leaders asked Eby to wait, and 57 per cent of voters disapprove of the early call

This article is the opinion of the voche.me editors. The facts it relies on are listed with their sources at the end.

On Saturday, October 17, British Columbians choose their mayors, councils and school boards. On Saturday, October 24, they choose a provincial government.

That is two elections in eight days. The people who run local government asked the premier to prevent it.

What local leaders asked for

On September 17, Today in BC reported a statement from Cori Ramsay, then president of the Union of B.C. Municipalities. She said 3,500 candidates were running for office in 188 communities.

"My message to Premier Eby right now is to respect the local government election process and ensure that this can continue uninterrupted," she said.

She gave her reason. "Only the loudest voices will be heard," she said. "News feeds only have so much room. Newsrooms only have so much bandwidth."

Delegates at the group's convention passed an emergency resolution that morning. It urged the premier to hold off on a provincial vote until after October 17.

What happened next

The official local campaign period began on September 19.

David Eby called the provincial election on September 22. Victoria News reported that he gave U.S. tariffs as the reason, and that the call came "to the dismay of many local leaders".

One name, two ballots

The deadline for a local candidate to withdraw was September 18 in most communities, as Peace Arch News reported. The provincial election was called four days later.

Garry Thind was already running for Surrey school board. He is now the Conservative Party of BC candidate in Surrey-Guildford, and his name stays on the school board ballot. "Running for two positions was not my choice," he told Peace Arch News.

He asked Surrey voters to choose six other trustee candidates. If he wins both seats, the report says, the provincial one takes precedence and Surrey holds a byelection to fill the school board seat.

A candidate can still leave a local race after the deadline, but only if the provincial ministry approves. The same report says Megan Knight got that approval. She left the race for mayor of White Rock and is the Conservative candidate in Surrey South.

Victoria News reported that some local candidates left their municipal races before the call, to be free to run provincially.

The calendar

Look at the eleven days from October 14 to October 24.

• October 14: the provincial leaders' debate, which CHEK News noted is days before the local vote.
• October 16: provincial advance voting opens.
• October 17: local election day, and the second day of provincial advance voting.
• October 21: provincial advance voting closes.
• October 24: provincial election day.

A local candidate for council has to reach voters in the same week as the provincial leaders' debate and the start of provincial advance voting.

What voters think

Leger surveyed British Columbians from September 24 to 28. Daily Hive reported that 57 per cent disapprove of the early election and 28 per cent approve.

Among people who intend to vote for Mr. Eby's party, 49 per cent disapprove and 39 per cent approve. Among respondents aged 55 and older, 69 per cent disapprove.

What can be said in his defence

A fair reader should weigh three points.

Mr. Eby gave a reason. He said tariffs put the province in an "existential moment", as Victoria News reported.

The two elections can legally run together. Today in BC reported that Elections BC says both can happen at the same time.

A voter loses no right. Every person can still vote in both elections, and on October 17 can do both on the same day.

We have weighed these points. The tariffs were already in place on September 17, when the local leaders asked him to wait. Calling the election on October 18 instead of September 22 would have moved it by 26 days. In our view, calling it early took attention from 3,500 people who had already put their names forward.

What we ask

Vote on October 17. Your council decides zoning, local roads, parks and your property tax bill. Your school board runs your children's schools. The local vote comes one week before the provincial one.

Read your local candidates first. The provincial vote is seven days later, and there is time for both. voche.me has a profile of every candidate in Vancouver's local election.

One promise from every leader. We ask Mr. Eby and every other party leader to say that their government will never call a provincial election during the official campaign period of the local elections.

Read the sources below and decide for yourself. Provincial advance voting runs from October 16 to October 21, and election day is October 24, 2026.