With the province heading to the polls in the fall, Elections BC is reminding voters about changes to riding boundaries that will affect where they cast their ballot.
For example, changes have been made to the Nelson-Creston riding — which is being renamed to Kootenay-Central.
Nakusp, New Denver, and Silverton will join from Kootenay West (now called the Kootenay-Monashee riding), increasing the population of Kootenay-Central from 38,744 to 41,985. The changes intend to balance out the population between ridings.
Elections BC has released a searchable database, where voters can input their home address to confirm which electoral district they live in. Brochures with information on new and existing boundaries are also being mailed out to every residential address in the province.
“Our focus at Elections BC is to prepare voters for what to expect when they vote later this year,” said Anton Boegman, Chief Electoral Officer of British Columbia. “There will not only be new electoral districts for B.C.’s next provincial election, but there will also be new technology at voting places to make voting faster and easier.”
Electoral boundaries are examined after every second provincial election, as an independent and non-partisan committee looks at changes in population growth and other factors and recommends altering riding boundaries or creating entirely new ones.
For example, the number of ridings is increasing from 87 to 93, while there were boundary changes made to 72 ridings.
In April 2023, the committee submitted a report for consideration in the B.C. Legislature, which accepted all proposed recommendations for change.
The fixed election date is set for Oct. 19.