2026 Election

Register to vote

You must be registered before you can vote in the general local election.

We use the province’s most recent electors list as our registered resident electors list. If you’re registered to vote in the next provincial election, you’re automatically registered for the 2026 General Local Election.

You can conveniently register to vote or update your information on the Elections BC website.

You can also register to vote on the day of voting, but we recommend saving time at the polls by registering in advance.

Are you eligible to vote?

In order to be eligible to vote, you must:

• Be 18 years of age or older when you register to vote, or 18 years or older on general voting day
• Be a Canadian citizen
• Have been a resident of B.C. for at least six months immediately before you register to vote (living in B.C. since at least April 16, 2026)
• Be a resident of Bowen Island on the day you register to vote; and
• Not be disqualified under the Local Government Act, or any other enactment from voting in local elections or be otherwise disqualified by law

Non-resident property electors (NRPE)

If you live off-island and own property on Bowen Island, you may vote once on Bowen Island – as long as you meet the voter eligibility requirements listed above.

If you own your Bowen Island property with one or more other individuals, only one person is eligible to vote as the non-resident property elector for that property. A majority of the property owners registered on title must consent, in writing, to one elector voting for that property. This is important to know before you vote because we will check who is registered on title to ensure you have the written consent to vote.

You cannot vote on behalf of a corporation, or as a non-resident property elector, based on a property owned wholly or in part by a corporation.

Voting dates

Advance voting: Wednesday, October 7, 2026 (8:00 am to 8:00 pm)

at the Bowen Island Community Centre, 580 Bowen Island Trunk Rd

General voting day: Saturday, October 17, 2026 (8:00 am to 8:00 pm)

at the Bowen Island Community School, 1041 Mt. Gardner Rd

Mail ballots

Mail ballot voting will be available for this election. Check back here in August for mail ballot voting instructions.

Are you thinking of running for Council?

Learn about the basics of running for office. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs has put together a comprehensive set of materials and videos to help.

• What Every Candidate Needs to Know (PDF, 428KB)
• Videos: Being an Effective Elected Official
• Role of Elected Officials

Important dates for candidates

July 22, 2026 (6:00 pm): Candidate Information Session. This is where you can meet informally with us to help decide if you want to run for Council. We’ll host a hybrid meeting where you can attend in person or online, and we’ll go over the nomination process, the election itself and what to expect if you’re elected.

July 30, 2026 (6:30 pm): Financing and Advertising Rules. Elections BC is offering an information session for local candidates on financing and advertising. This session will provide candidates with information regarding the rules in the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act. Register here

August 4, 2026 (9:00 am): Nomination package available. This is when you can pick up your nomination forms and get help from the Chief Election Officer if you have any questions.

September 1, 2026 (9:00 am): Nomination period begins. This is when you can submit your nomination forms to the Chief Election Officer. Your forms will be posted on the Municipal website when they are received.

September 11, 2026 (4:00 pm): Nomination period ends; candidates declared. This is the deadline for submitting your nomination forms, and the Chief Election Officer will publicly declare that you are a candidate.

September 21, 2026: Declaration of election by voting. This is when the Chief Election Officer will officially declare that Bowen Island will hold an election, and who is running for office.

What about campaign financing?

Contact Elections BC if you have questions about campaign financing, election advertising and third party sponsor rules.

• Elections BC