Voters showed up big time on the central Island both in advance voting and on election day. (Kyle Ireland/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

big turnout

Voter turnout in Nanaimo & Oceanside way above provincial average

Oct 21, 2024 | 9:40 AM

NANAIMO — Local voters were very motivated to participate in the 2024 Provincial Election.

According to preliminary data provided by Elections BC from the initial count on Saturday, Oct. 19, a total of 115,868 votes were cast through the four central Island ridings of Nanaimo-Gabriola, Nanaimo-Lantzville, Ladysmith Oceanside and Mid-Island Pacific Rim, a notable increase from 2020.

As of Oct. 7, Elections BC had 185,280 eligible voters registered, meaning around 62.54 per cent of those registered cast a ballot. The number of registered voters does not reflect those who registered on election day.

Ladysmith-Oceanside, where NDP candidate Stephanie Higginson was elected, led the region and was third overall in B.C. with 67.19 per cent voter turnout. A total of 32,591 votes were cast from 48,503 eligible voters.

Nanaimo-Lantzville placed 12th province-wide with 28,423 votes from 44,194 electors, representing a 64.31 per cent voter turnout. NDP candidate George Anderson was elected in the riding.

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Mid-Island Pacific Rim sent NDP candidate Josie Osborne back to Victoria with 28,004 votes cast for all candidates from 46,970 registered voters, marking a 59.62 per cent voter turnout.

Nanaimo-Gabriola Island, which elected NDP candidate Sheila Malcolmson, saw 26,850 votes cast from 45,613 eligible people, or a voter turnout of 58.86 per cent.

Voter turnout across central Vancouver Island in 2020 ranged from 55 per cent in Nanaimo to 65 per cent in Oceanside.

The provincial voter turnout was 57.41 per cent.

Courtenay Comox led all ridings in B.C. with a 68.04 per cent voter turnout, while Powell River Sunshine Coast was fifth overall at 65.93 per cent.

Numbers may shift slightly in the coming days.

Elections BC said early Sunday, Oct. 20, their initial vote count was complete and the final, official count would take place between Oct. 26-28.

“Most types of ballots are counted at initial count. This includes ballots from advance voting, Final Voting Day, and mail-in ballots received by mail before the close of advance voting,” a statement from Elections BC read. “Some ballots cannot be counted until final count, because they require additional integrity checks to ensure the voter was eligible to vote and that they only voted once.”

With over two million ballots cast province-wide, Elections BC said this election saw the most ballots cast ever for a provincial vote, beating a record set in 2017 where 1.99 million votes came in.

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