How (and why) to register to vote in May's 2017 BC election

It’s almost time for you to vote, British Columbians!

The BC election is coming up on May 9, but that doesn’t mean you should wait until the last minute to get organized. There are lots of things you can do right now to make sure your voice is heard when it’s time to elect our provincial government. But first off, we need to figure out if you’re even able to vote in this election.

You can if you:

• are a Canadian citizen
• will be at least 18 years old on May 9, 2017
• have been a resident of BC for the six months before May 9, 2017, and
• are not disqualified from voting

Once you’ve satisfied those, it’s time to register. Here’s why it’s important and how to do it.

Registering saves time

You have to register before you cast your ballot, so do it now and save time on voting day. If you register now and make sure your information is up to date, you’ll get a Where to Vote card in the mail that tells you exactly where and when you can vote.

It only takes a few minutes

Registering online is super easy – so easy that we did it in under four minutes.

All you have to do is visit Elections BC’s online registration page and have your BC driver’s license number or the last six digits of your Social Insurance Number. Then either register as a new voter or update your information.

Register now

Register by phone

If you feel more comfortable giving your info out over the phone, you can call Elections BC and register. Simply call 1-800-661-8683.

What next?

One of the things you can definitely do to prepare for an election is find out where you stand. Read up on the issues you care about, get to know the candidates, and learn more about the parties to gauge who you should vote for. There’s still lots of time, so you don’t have to make a hasty decision.

Following these steps to register will make the process a lot easier once election day approaches, and doing so makes it less likely that there will be surprises.

Elections BC is updating the voters list from now until April 11, so make sure you register today.

For more information on how to register and vote, visit Elections BC or find them on Facebook and Twitter.