British Columbians vote in early election, with David Eby’s job on the line

British Columbians cast their votes today in an early election called by NDP Leader David Eby, placing his position on the line. The five-week campaign focused on topics such as healthcare, housing, the province's deficit, and living costs. Eby called the snap election two years early, claiming he needed a new mandate to address challenges from U.S. President Donald Trump. Eby's party held a one-seat majority in the legislature when he decided to call the election, leading him to regret not making that clearer.

Interim Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson secured his party's top position two days before the election call in September, reuniting legislators who had defected from the party under Kerry-Lynne Findlay's divisive leadership. The Greens' Emily Lowan made her political debut in the provincial election, urging supporters to vote NDP to avoid splitting the vote.

At dissolution, the legislature consisted of 47 New Democrats, 29 Conservatives, two Greens, and 13 Independents. However, many nominal Independents had rejoined the Conservative party after Doerkson became interim leader, which may not be reflected in the official numbers. The Conservatives entered the election with roughly 37 seats.

Elections BC stated that votes cast on election day would be counted manually, despite electronic tabulators being used for the first time in 2024. This decision was made due to the tight timelines and technical requirements to get the machines running. Mail-in and absentee ballots would be counted two weeks after election day, as Elections BC aimed to ensure only eligible voters cast their ballots once. Over 891,000 advance votes were cast, representing about 24 percent of all registered voters.

During the campaign, the NDP proposed a new tax bracket for those earning over $1 million to fund healthcare, pledging price caps on basic groceries and creating a training program for qualified international medical graduates in B.C. The Conservatives promised no tax increases and a $1,000 tax cut for most individual workers by raising B.C.'s basic personal income tax exemption from $13,216 to $32,000.

The Green Party aimed to tax wealth exceeding $50 million, establish a community health center in every riding, and reform B.C.'s oil and gas royalty framework. Other parties in the race included CentreBC, led by former Conservative Elenore Sturko, and OneBC, with interim leader Dallas Brodie, a former Conservative.