CANELECTGEN 008/24 031109Z SEP 24: Provincial General Election - British Columbia

References: Federal, Provincial and Territorial Electoral Events (A-LG-007-000/AF-001) 29 NOV 00 (CDS Publication)

1. MARPAC must ensure that ships are reading foreign broadcast
2. Final voting day for the next British Columbia (BC) provincial general election will be on Saturday, 19 Oct 24, from 08:00 hrs to 20:00 hrs (Pacific time).
3. Eligible members of the Canadian Forces (CF) may vote at any of the voting opportunities described in the British Columbia election act 1996, R.S.B.C. c. 106, as amended. Under this act, in order to be eligible to vote in a provincial general election, a person must:
   1. Be a Canadian citizen,
   2. Be 18 years of age or older on final voting day,
   3. Have been a resident of British Columbia for at least six months immediately before final voting day, and
   4. Be registered as a voter on the provincial list of voters for the electoral district.
4. A person who is not registered as a provincial voter may register when they vote, except for voters who vote by telephone. Voters who are eligible to vote by assisted telephone voting must ensure their registration is current by the close of voter registration at 23:59 7 Oct 24
5. British Columbia voters are required to prove their identity and place of residence in order to receive a ballot or to register when voting. Voters may meet this requirement by showing acceptable identification or being vouched for. Further information on acceptable identification and vouching is available online at the elections BC web site https://elections.bc.ca/2024-provincial-election/voter-id/
6. For the purposes of determining a person’s place of residence, section 32 of the British Columbia election act states that an individual is a resident of the place where the individual lives and to which, whenever absent, the individual intends to return
7. Section 32 of the BC election act further elaborates that CF members do not lose their residency while engaged in the service of the government of Canada
8. Eligible British Columbia voters may now register, update or confirm their voter registration online at the elections BC web site at: https://elections.bc.ca/2024-provincial election/register-to-vote/ or by phone at 1-800-661-8683. General registration for the election closes at 23:59 hrs on 7 Oct 24 - thereafter registration can only be done when voting
9. 10 Oct 24 to 13 Oct 24 and 15 Oct 24 to 16 Oct 24 have been set as the dates for advance voting for voters for whom it will not be convenient to vote on final voting day (19 Oct 24). Advance voting places will be closed on 14 Oct 24 for Thanksgiving. Advance voting locations are open from 08:00 hrs to 20:00 hrs (local time) on each of the six days of advance voting.
10. For voters who are unable to attend a voting location on final voting day (19 Oct 24) or advance voting days (10 Oct 24 to 13 Oct 24 and 15 Oct 24 to 16 Oct 24) alternative voting options are:
    1. By mail-in voting package, or
    2. In person at the office of a district electoral officer before 16:00 hrs (Pacific time) on 19 Oct 24
    3. Assisted telephone voting for registered voters (10 Oct 24 to 13 Oct 24 and 15 Oct 24 to 19 Oct 24)
11. A mail-in voting package, which can include a voter registration application, can be requested:
    1. Immediately, and latest at 20:00 hrs (Pacific time) on 13 Oct 24, via the elections BC web site at the following address: https://elections.bc.ca/2024-provincial-election/ways-tovote/vote-by-mail
    2. After 09:00 hrs on 21 Sep 24, and latest at 16:00 hrs (Pacific time) on 19 Oct 24, mail-in voting packages can also be requested from the office of any district electoral officer.
12. The mail-in voting package contains instructions, an election ballot and the envelopes necessary to return the marked ballot by mail and protect the secrecy of the vote. The marked ballot must be received by elections BC by 20:00 hrs (Pacific time) on 19 Oct 24 in order to be considered in the count of votes.
13. A CF member who believes that he or she will be absent from BC on final voting day or on the days scheduled for advance voting has the personal responsibility to request a mail-in voting package and provide required information in advance to allow timely delivery of the mail-in voting package to the voter and the return of the marked ballots on time by the member.
14. Any CF member voting using a mail-in voting package has personal responsibility to ensure that his or her ballot is received by elections BC by 20:00 hrs (Pacific time) on 19 Oct 24
15. In respect of ships at sea, special arrangements are being made so that CF members who wish to vote may do so using assisted telephone voting. These arrangements apply only to deployed CF members who will not be able to vote on final voting day or at advance voting places
16. Additional information regarding the 2024 British Columbia general election is available at the elections BC web site https://.elections.bc.ca
17. Further information concerning the election may be obtained from the appropriate district electoral officer, the office of the chief electoral officer for the province of BC, at 1-800-661-8683 or in Victoria at 250-387-5305 or, if appropriate, from the CF elections administration manager at 343-343-4459
18. CF members shall be given sufficient time to vote. Section 74 of the BC election act provides that qualified voters are entitled to four consecutive hours for the purpose of voting
19. Provincial legislation does not prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages on final voting day. Accordingly, the sale of alcoholic beverages in messes, canteens and other institutes is not prohibited on voting day
20. Political activities on defence establishments and personal political activities of members of the CF are governed by QR and O 19.44, and section 2 of ref. The ref can be viewed on the voting and elections web site at https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/benefits-military/voting-and-elections.html
21. All CF base commanders are to ensure the widest distribution of this message including its republication in routine orders.