Advanced voting in 2 B.C. byelections now open

Advanced voting opens Fridayin the byelections for the British Columbia ridings ofLangford-Juan de Fuca and Vancouver-Mount Pleasant.

Eligible voters who want to cast a ballot before the official June 24 election date can do so between 8 a.m. PT and 8 p.m. PT until June 21 at various advanced polling locations listed on theElections B.C. website.

Final results are scheduled to be announced on June 28.

Candidates representing five different parties are vying for votes in both ridings.

The seat for Langford-Juan de Fucawas vacated by former NDP Premier John Horgan, who formally resigned from the B.C. Legislature on Mar. 31, ending a 30-year political careerafter twice battling cancer.

Melanie Mark, the former NDPMLA for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant,announced she was stepping down in February. Mark was the first First Nations woman to serve as a cabinet minister in the Legislative Assembly.

Individuals eligible to vote must be:

• a Canadian citizen;
• age 18 or older on June 24, 2023;
• a resident of the Langford-Juan de Fuca or Vancouver-Mount Pleasant electoral district; and
• a resident of British Columbia since Dec.23, 2022.