After the polls close

Voting ends at a set time, but the election isn’t over yet. Ballots get counted, results get checked, and close races can go to a judge. This lesson walks through what happens next, using British Columbia as the example: the provincial election first, then federal, then local.

BC’s 2026 provincial election doesn’t end on October 24. Elections BC plans the final count for November 6–10, 2026, and Return Day is November 18, 2026.¹ The winner in a close riding may not be known until the final count.

BC provincial: two counts, then Return Day

The initial count, on election night

Counting starts as soon as possible after voting closes, and not before.² Most votes from advance voting and final voting day are counted that night. This is the initial count, and its results are preliminary.³

The final count, about two weeks later

Some ballots aren’t counted on election night, including vote-by-mail ballots and some out-of-district votes. These come in a certification envelope with the voter’s details on it. Before they’re counted, Elections BC checks that each voter is registered and hasn’t already voted. That takes time.³

The final count adds those ballots to the initial count and produces the result. By law it can’t happen before the fourth day after voting day.⁴ During the final count, officials may also recount ballots from election night. They must recount if a candidate asks in writing within 3 days of voting day and the preliminary results show a gap of 100 votes or fewer between first and second place.⁴ These recounts are done by hand.⁵

When the final count ends, Elections BC declares the official results.⁴

Judicial recounts

A voter in the riding, a candidate, or the district electoral officer can ask the Supreme Court of BC for a judicial recount. They need a reason, like votes accepted or rejected incorrectly, or a total added up wrong. The window runs from the declaration of official results until 6 days after it.⁶

Some recounts happen automatically. The district electoral officer must apply if the final count ends in a tie, or if the winner’s lead is less than 1/500 of the total ballots considered.⁶ The recount takes place 7 to 15 days after the official results are declared.⁶

Return Day

If no one asks for a recount, the writ of election is completed once the recount window closes. If there is a recount, the writ follows its result. If the vote is still tied, the seat is declared vacant and a by-election follows.⁷ After Return Day, the chief electoral officer sends the certified list of elected MLAs to the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly.⁷

2026 timeline after voting day

When	What happens
October 24, after voting closes	Initial count. Preliminary results.¹^,²
Within 3 days of voting day	Deadline for a candidate to request a recount at final count.⁴
November 6–10 (planned)	Final count. Official results declared at the end.¹^,⁴
Up to 6 days after official results	Window to apply for a judicial recount.⁶
7–15 days after official results	Judicial recount, if there is one.⁶
November 18	Return Day.¹

Where to find results

Elections BC publishes official results, including the Statement of Votes for each general election, on its results page.⁸

Federal: counted at the poll, validated within a week

At a federal election, election officers count the votes at each polling station right after it closes. Candidates or their representatives can watch. If none are there, at least two electors must be present.⁹ Advance poll ballots are counted on election day too, after the polls close, never before.⁹ Ballots cast under the Special Voting Rules are counted separately and added to each riding’s results.⁹

The returning officer then validates the results from the statements of the vote. This happens no later than seven days after election day, and candidates can attend.¹⁰ Afterward, the returning officer issues a certificate with each candidate’s vote total.¹⁰

Automatic recount: if the gap between first place and any other candidate is less than 1/1000 of the votes cast, the returning officer must ask a judge for a recount within four days of validation.¹¹ A voter can also apply for a recount within four days of the certificate, with evidence that votes were miscounted or added up wrong, and a $250 deposit.¹¹

Without a recount, the returning officer declares the winner after the sixth day following validation. With a recount, the winner is declared once the judge’s certificate comes in.¹²

Elections Canada publishes live election night results, validated results, and judicial recount results at enr.elections.ca.¹³

BC local: your city runs the count

Local elections in BC aren’t run by one agency. Each local government handles its own voting, counting, and results. It appoints a chief election officer to run the election.¹⁴

Counting starts as soon as practical after voting closes. The chief election officer can announce preliminary results.¹⁵
Official results: the chief election officer reviews the ballot accounts, can recount some or all ballots, and must declare the results before 4 p.m. on the fourth day after general voting day. For the October 17, 2026 vote, that’s October 21.¹⁵
Judicial recount: a voter, a candidate, a candidate’s representative, or the chief election officer can apply to the Provincial Court. The window closes 9 days after general voting day, and the recount must be done by the end of the 13th day.¹⁶ Only a tie makes a recount mandatory. If it’s still tied after the recount, the result is decided by a runoff election, or by drawing lots if the local government has a bylaw for that.¹⁶
Taking office: winners can’t take the oath of office until the recount window closes, or until any recount confirms their win.¹⁶

What happens next

Once results are final, winners take their seats: MPs in Ottawa, MLAs in Victoria, and councillors and trustees in their local governments. Which party governs depends on how those seats add up. See From ballot to seat for how that works.

Official sources

Elections BC, 2026 Provincial Election key dates: final voting day October 24, final count November 6–10 (planned), Return Day November 18. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴
BC Election Act, s. 116. ↩ ↩²
Elections BC, Facts about elections (“All votes are counted on election night”). ↩ ↩²
BC Election Act, s. 128 (timing of final count), s. 136 (recount during final count) and s. 137 (declaration of official results). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵
Elections BC, Facts about elections (“A recount is just another count using tabulators”). The Vote Counting Regulation requires recounts of initial-count ballots to be done by hand. ↩
BC Election Act, s. 139 (who can apply, grounds, timing, mandatory recounts) and s. 140 (recount date). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵
BC Election Act, s. 146 (return of the writ), s. 147 (report to the Clerk) and s. 148 (by-election if tied). ↩ ↩²
Elections BC, Provincial Election Results. ↩
Canada Elections Act, s. 283 (counting at the polling station), s. 289 (advance polls) and s. 280 (Special Voting Rules results). ↩ ↩² ↩³
Canada Elections Act, s. 62(c) (validation date), ss. 293–294 (validation) and s. 297 (certificate of votes cast). ↩ ↩²
Canada Elections Act, s. 300 (recount requested by the returning officer) and s. 301 (recount requested by an elector). ↩ ↩²
Canada Elections Act, s. 313. ↩
Elections Canada, enr.elections.ca. ↩
Elections BC, 2026 General Local Elections (“Who does what”); Local Government Act, s. 58. ↩
Local Government Act, s. 133 (when counting happens), s. 144 (preliminary results), s. 145 (official results) and s. 146 (declaration). ↩ ↩²
Local Government Act, s. 147 (taking office), s. 148 (application), s. 149 (recount deadline), s. 151 (tie decided by lot) and s. 152 (runoff election). ↩ ↩² ↩³