What is on the ballot

One mayor. Eight councillors. Three Capital Regional District directors. Two school trustees for the Greater Victoria school district. You may vote for up to eight council candidates, and here is a detail seasoned voters use: you do not have to use all eight votes. Voting only for candidates you genuinely support gives your favourites more relative weight.

The ballot also carries a question: Do you support Saanich and Victoria becoming one municipality? It is non-binding. Both councils put the same question to voters after the Victoria and Saanich Citizens' Assembly recommended amalgamation in 2025, so the result is advice to the councils elected on October 17 rather than a decision.

Who can vote

Canadian citizen, 18 or older on election day
Resident of BC for at least six months before registering
Resident of the City of Victoria on the day you register
Or a non-resident property elector: you own property in Victoria but live elsewhere in BC

Renters vote exactly where they live. No property, no lease minimum, no landlord involvement, and no waiting period: the Local Government Act, section 65, asks only that you live in Victoria on the day you register. The 30 days people sometimes mention belongs to section 66 and applies to non-resident property electors, who must have owned their Victoria property for 30 days.

Get on the voters list, or register on the spot

Victoria uses the provincial voters list. Check or update your registration in a couple of minutes through Elections BC online voter registration. Already registered provincially at your current address? You are set. Bring one piece of ID; that is all the City asks a registered voter to show.

Miss the list entirely? You can still vote. Register at the voting place with two pieces of ID, at least one carrying your signature. A BC driver's licence or BC Services Card plus a bank card or utility bill does the job. The province publishes full rules on its local elections voting page.

When and where to vote

General voting day is Saturday, October 17, 2026, with voting places open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Any elector can use any City of Victoria voting place, so go to whichever of the twelve is easiest to reach.

Advance voting is required by provincial law, and the City has confirmed four advance days: Wednesday, October 7, and Tuesday to Thursday, October 13, 14 and 15. Every advance place is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. except the University of Victoria, which runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

October 7: Victoria Conference Centre, Upper Pavilion, second floor, 720 Douglas St. (opens a map) (accessible voting machine)
October 13: Crystal Garden, 713 Douglas St. (opens a map) (accessible voting machine)
October 14: Crystal Garden, 713 Douglas St. (opens a map) (accessible voting machine)
October 14: University of Victoria, Student Union Building, Michèle Pujol Room, 3800 Finnerty Rd. (opens a map), 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
October 15: Crystal Garden, 713 Douglas St. (opens a map) (accessible voting machine)

Every voting place is wheelchair accessible, and there is a priority line for anyone who needs it. If you cannot get inside, including a parent with small children or a caregiver, you can vote at the curb or in the parking lot: tell an election worker. The accessible voting machine is at the places marked above.

Voting by mail? Ask for your ballot by October 9

If you will be away, or getting to a voting place is hard, the City will mail you a ballot. Request one through the City's elections page or by phoning 250.361.0571. Requests opened on September 14 and close at 4 p.m. on Friday, October 9. Packages are ready from the week of September 21, and postage is prepaid anywhere in Canada.

Send it back by post, drop it in the box at the Pandora Avenue entrance of City Hall, or hand it in on any advance day or at a voting place on October 17. However it travels, it has to reach the City by 8 p.m. on election day to be counted, so post it well before that.

The three-minute voting plan

Print the free one-page 2026 Voter Guide (PDF) and stick it on the fridge.
Pick your day now: advance voting is quieter and election day has the most locations.
Put it in your calendar before you close this tab.
Decide your ride: walk, bus, bike or a lift with a neighbour.
Bring two neighbours. Turnout in civic elections is low, which means your household outweighs its size.

Why this one matters more than most

Barely a third of eligible voters typically show up for Victoria civic elections, yet the winners set your property tax, your rent security, what gets built next door, and how downtown feels at night. The last council seat is often decided by a few hundred ballots. In an election this important, you are not a statistic. You are a margin.

Where the deep detail lives

the OCP guide walks through the 2025 Official Community Plan clause by clause.
the real tax bill traces where the money went, with every figure sourced.
the media tracker collects what Victorians have written about city hall, sorted by issue.
the glossary explains the terms council uses in plain language.
who we are voting for sets out each name and the record behind it.

Voting dates and locations last checked against the City of Victoria's elections page on October 2, 2026. ID and accessibility details are from the City's what you need to know to vote notice of September 14, 2026, and voter eligibility from the Local Government Act, sections 65 and 66, read September 30, 2026.

Help get out the vote: the DIY kit

The sign is ready to print at home, one, two or four to a page. If you would like to help, you could stick one in your window, drop them in house mailboxes, or hand them to people face to face.

Never within 100 metres of a voting place.

Get the DIY kit

Most people who read this were sent it by someone they know.

Get a reminder when advance voting opens.

One email with dates and locations, plus our short election updates until then.

Sign me up Meet the candidates Who we are voting for

How to vote, and how to make it count