Voters are entitled to four consecutive hours free from work to vote during advance voting or on Final Voting Day. 

If your work schedule can’t accommodate you to take four consecutive hours off, your employer must provide extra time off. 

This doesn’t mean you get to just take off from work for four hours though. It just means you have to be given a window of four hours to vote at some point during the day. So if you work from 12:30 PM to 8:30 PM, you still have four hours before your shift begins to vote (8 AM to 12 PM).

Your boss can't dock your pay or penalize you for taking the time to vote. You have to be paid your regular wage for the hours you're not working while you vote. Have that conversation with your employer now, as they have the right to decide when you get your time off!

If you already know you're going to be busy, unable to physically reach the polls, or away on vacation (lucky you) on Election Day, make a plan to vote early!

You have three options: 

1: Vote by mail! You can request a vote-by-mail package from July 23, 2024, until 4 p.m. on Final Voting Day.

2: Vote at an advanced poll! Advance voting will be open October 10 – 13 and October 15 – 16, 2024. During this time, you can vote at any polling station that offers advanced voting. Advance voting places will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time.

3: Vote by phone! You can vote by phone if you can’t vote on your own another way. Your voter information must be up to date to vote by phone. You can vote by phone if you:

• have sight loss
• have a disability or underlying health condition that stops you from voting on your own
• are self-isolating during the last week before the election and can’t vote by mail

Telephone operators will help you vote by phone, and will make sure your vote is secret. You can call 1-800-661-8683 to see if you can vote by phone.

If you are a student who is eligible to vote in B.C., you can register and vote in either the electoral district where you reside while going to school or the electoral district you usually live in when you’re not at school.

If you attend school outside of B.C., you can vote by mail. 

If you are from another province but are going to school in B.C., you are eligible to vote if you meet the voter registration requirements and have been living in B.C. for at least six months before General Voting Day. You must register using the address where you live while attending school. 

Vote by mail! All vote-by-mail packages must be returned to Elections BC before 8 p.m. (Pacific time) on Final Voting Day. 

You can choose to vote by mail, or find your nearest polling station. Voting places are being confirmed and will be published here when available. 

To be eligible to vote in B.C., you must be a resident of B.C. for the six months before Final Voting Day.

B.C. has a “vote anywhere” model, meaning you can vote at any voting place in the province, regardless of your electoral district! 

To make things quicker at the polls, though, you can register your new address before Election Day.

To register to vote, you can use the address of a shelter, hostel, or similar support centre that provides food, lodging, or other social services.