Penticton voters 1st to the polls

Voters in Kelowna-Mission were the most eager among Central Okanagan residents to cast early ballots in the provincial election.

More than 2,300 people in the riding went to the first day of advance polling on Thursday, according to Elections

BC.

That compares with about 1,800 in Kelowna-Lake Country and 1,600 in Kelowna West.

In the riding of Penticton, almost 2,500 people took advantage of the first day of advance polls.

About 1,700 in the North Okanagan voted in Vernon-Monashee.

Across the province, 105,000 votes were cast on Thursday, down from 122,000 voters who cast ballots on the first day of advance voting before the 2017 provincial election.

However, the number of people voting by mail will be about 10 times higher than usual this year, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Almost 700,000 people have requested vote-by-mail ballots, compared to less than 7,000 who voted this way in 2017.

Advance polls are open every day from Saturday through Wednesday.

For your polling station, see the Elections BC website.

General voting day is Oct. 24.