Candidates finalized for 2026 provincial snap election

Elections B.C. says candidates have been finalized for the 2026 provincial election. Candidate nominations closed at 1 p.m. PT on Saturday, Oct. 3.

According to the finalized list, there are 355 candidates running, with 340 representing ten political parties, and 15 candidates running as independent or unaffiliated.

The B.C. Conservatives are running 93 candidates, covering all of the ridings, however the B.C. NDP is one candidate short at 92, with no representative running in Peace River North. B.C. NDP Campaign Director Cheryl Oates says the paperwork on the party's final candidate was incomplete.

The B.C. Greens are running 73 candidates, CentreBC has 35 candidates, and OneBC has 33.

Hamish Telford, University of the Fraser Valley political science associate professor, said "considering the turmoil" that the B.C. Conservatives were in just weeks ago, securing candidates in all 93 ridings is "quite a feat."

The two largest parties, the B.C. NDP and the B.C. Conservative Party, he said, seem to be neck and neck.

"It's going to come down to how the smaller parties do in particular ridings. The three smaller parties are running about three dozen candidates each, and it's going to be very interesting to watch vote splits in in these ridings," said Telford.

One of those smaller parties is the B.C. Greens, and Telford said he believes 73 candidates is too many.

"If I was advising the Greens, I would advise them to run in those ridings where they get 15, 20 per cent of the vote, focus on 10 or 15 ridings, try and double their their vote total," he said.

Telford pointed to the Vancouver-Quilchena riding as one that could see a surprising result, as candidates from five parties are running there which he said may split the vote between OneBC and CentreBC — allowing the B.C. NDP to win.

Candidates who registered as independent will appear on the ballot with the word "Independent" next to their name, notes Elections B.C.'s website.

The website also notes that candidates who have not been endorsed by a party nor registered as independent will appear on the ballot with just their name.

By contrast, in the 2024 provincial election there were 322 candidates, with 269 representing seven political parties, and 53 running as independent or unaffiliated.

Advance voting will take place on Oct. 16 to Oct. 21, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time.

The last day British Columbians can vote will be on Oct. 24, the final day of the election, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. PT.

You can find more details on voting dates and voting locations on Elections B.C.'s website.