Record number of votes cast

A record number of votes have already been cast ahead of Saturday’s provincial election.

Figures released Thursday by Elections BC show a little more than one million votes were cast provincewide during the six days of advance polls, including a one-day record of 222,907 votes cast on the final day Wednesday.

That works out to 28.2 per cent of eligible voters across the province.

Numbers are slightly higher across 12 Southern Interior ridings where 29.7 per cent of eligible voters have already cast ballots.

In the Southern Interior, 152,920 voters were cast among the 515,079 eligible voters.

That compares to 94,211 or 24 per cent of advance votes cast four years ago.

South Okanagan and Similkameen residents were the most engaged with 33.3 per cent of voters in Boundary-Similkameen and 34.2 per cent in Penticton-Summerland voting early.

The West Kootenay and Kamloops find themselves on the opposite end of the spectrum. Only 25 per cent of voters in the two West Kootenay ridings took advantage of advance polls with 26.2 per cent in the two Kamloops ridings doing the same.

Across the four Central Okanagan ridings, 31 per cent of the 179,000 voters showed up at advance polls while 30.1 per cent of the 95,500 voters turned up in the Vernon and Shuswap ridings.

While advance polls are now closed, voters can still vote at district offices located in each riding.

For those waiting until Saturday, polls across the province will open from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m.

Click here for a complete list of polling locations.