Before you mark the ballot

A good vote takes about an hour of prep: find out where you vote, see who’s on your ballot, compare what they stand for, and know how to mark the ballot so it counts. This lesson uses British Columbia as the example. Federal steps are included, and the process is similar in other provinces.

The BC candidate lists are still changing. Provincial nominations close at 1 p.m. (Pacific time) on October 3, 2026, and the final list comes out after that.¹ Local nominations closed on September 11. Elections BC updates its local list from what each local government sends in, so confirm with your city or regional district.²

Find your district

Your address decides which candidates you can vote for. Look it up separately for each election.

Election	How to find your district
Federal	Enter your postal code in Elections Canada’s Voter Information Service .³
BC provincial	Enter your address in Elections BC’s My District app. Your Where to Vote card also shows your assigned voting place.⁴
BC local	Each local government runs its own election. Find yours in the CivicInfo BC directory , which Elections BC and the BC government both point to.⁵

Not sure whether you’re in a city or a regional district electoral area? The BC government suggests calling the nearest local government office, checking their website for a map tool, or looking at who sends your property tax bill.⁶

See who’s running

Use the official lists. They show who has actually filed a nomination, not just who has announced.

BC provincial: Elections BC’s 2026 candidate list shows accepted nominations by electoral district. It doesn’t include people who have announced but not yet filed.¹
BC local: Elections BC’s 2026 local candidates list is updated daily. Your local government accepts nominations and has the final word on who’s on your ballot.²
Federal: Once a federal election is called, the Voter Information Service lists the candidates in your electoral district.³

On the BC provincial ballot, a party-endorsed candidate has the party name next to theirs. An independent has the word “Independent.” An unaffiliated candidate has no label at all.¹

Compare what they stand for

The BC government puts it simply: during an election, candidates outline their platforms and what they’d do if elected.⁷ Go to the source for each one:

Platforms. Read them on the party’s or candidate’s own website, not a summary someone else posted.
All-candidates meetings. Community groups often host these. You hear everyone answer the same questions, side by side.
Local news. Look for candidate profiles and debate coverage.
Ask directly. Email or call a campaign with your question.

Before you share a claim you saw online, Elections BC suggests checking who published it and whether other news outlets report the same thing.⁸ For facts about voting itself (where, when, what ID), go straight to the election agency.

Questions worth asking

Use the same questions for every candidate, so you’re comparing like with like.

Which level of government handles the issue I care about? (See Three levels, three ballots.)
What are this candidate’s top two or three priorities?
How would they pay for what they’re promising?
What have they done before, in office or in the community?
How would they represent people in the district who didn’t vote for them?
How can I reach them if they win?

Mark the ballot so it counts

Each ballot has its own rules. If you’re unsure, ask the election official. Federal and local officials are required to explain.⁹

BC provincial. Fill in the circle, or write an “X” in the circle, next to one candidate. At voting places you use a black marker.¹⁰ Valid marks include an X, a check or a shaded circle. A ballot is rejected if it’s blank, marked for more than one candidate, marked in a way that could identify you, or unclear.¹¹ Unless you vote on Final Voting Day at your assigned voting place, your ballot goes into a tabulator. It flags a blank, over-marked or too-faint ballot so you can fix it before it’s counted.¹²

BC local. Your local government designs the ballot. The ballot must say how many candidates to elect for each office and what mark to use.¹³ Some offices, like councillor, elect more than one person. Don’t mark more candidates than there are seats. If you do, your vote for that office is rejected.¹⁴

Federal. Put an X or other mark in the circle next to one candidate.¹⁵ Elections Canada provides a pencil, but you can use your own pen.¹⁶ A ballot is rejected if it’s blank, marked in more than one circle, or has any mark that could identify you.¹⁷

Made a mistake?

Don’t put it in the box. Give the ballot back to the election official and ask for a new one. The old one is marked “spoiled” and set aside. This works in all three elections, as long as the ballot hasn’t gone into the box yet.¹⁸ Federally, you can get only one replacement, so take your time with the second.¹⁹

Need help marking your ballot? In BC provincial elections you can get help for any reason: tell the election official, or bring a friend or family member. In local elections, an official or someone you bring can help if you have a disability or trouble reading or writing.²⁰ For more on getting to the polls, see Ways to vote and What to bring.

Official sources

Elections BC, 2026 Provincial Election: Candidates. Ballot labels for party, independent and unaffiliated candidates are described on the same page. ↩ ↩² ↩³
Elections BC, Candidate Information (local elections) and Who Does What. Local governments accept candidate nominations; Elections BC compiles the list from what they send. ↩ ↩²
Elections Canada, Voter Information Service: search by postal code; candidates are listed partway through an election. ↩ ↩²
Elections BC, Find Your Electoral District and 2026 Provincial Election: Where to Vote. ↩
Elections BC, Who Does What; BC government, Election 2026 FAQ for Voting Day. ↩
BC government, Election 2026 FAQ for Voting Day: “I don’t know which jurisdiction I am able to vote in.” ↩
BC government, General Local Elections. ↩
Elections BC, How to Spot Election Misinformation. ↩
Canada Elections Act, s. 150(2); BC Local Government Act, s. 129(2). ↩
Elections BC, Guide to Voting and Counting (2026), “Ordinary ballots.” ↩
Elections BC, Guide to Voting and Counting (2026), “Accepting or rejecting ballots.” ↩
Elections BC, Guide to Voting and Counting (2026), “Tabulators” and “Tabulator notifications.” ↩
BC Local Government Act, s. 115(1). ↩
BC Local Government Act, s. 139(4)(e). ↩
Canada Elections Act, s. 151(1)(b). ↩
Elections Canada, Voting FAQ: “Do I have to use a pencil to mark my ballot?” ↩
Canada Elections Act, s. 284(1). ↩
BC Election Act, s. 113; BC Local Government Act, s. 128; Canada Elections Act, s. 152(1). ↩
Canada Elections Act, s. 152(2). ↩
Elections BC, 2026 Provincial Election: Voting Accessibility; BC government, Election 2026 FAQ for Voting Day. ↩