Surrey civic election advance voting reaches 52,600, up 47 per cent from 2022

Surrey’s civic election had 52,600 votes cast in advance before final voting day on Saturday, Oct. 17, up from 35,713 advance votes in 2022. Chief Election Officer Gib van Ert called the figures high on Friday, Oct. 16. He said advance voting increased 47 per cent from 2022, a notable rise, but its cause is difficult to determine and its effect on overall turnout is uncertain.

The city opened 10 advance voting locations on four days this month: Oct. 7, 10, 14 and 15. There were six locations in 2022. Van Ert said the increase was in response to greater demand for advance voting. The second day, Saturday, Oct. 10, drew 15,391 voters, the most of any advance voting day. Coverdale Recreation Centre was the busiest location, with 9,068 votes cast.

Van Ert said it is unknown whether the advance voting increase will carry through to final voting and produce higher overall turnout than in 2022. He said more people may simply have chosen to vote early this year, which could mean fewer people vote on final voting day than in 2022. “It’s just unknowable for now,” he said.

Earlier this month, Van Ert said advance voting in the previous civic election accounted for more than 30 per cent of electors. In 2022, about 35,000 electors voted in advance, out of approximately 123,000 votes in total. That meant close to 30 per cent voted early and 70 per cent on general election day. With more advance voting locations, the city anticipated that advance voting might increase, he said, adding that it would see how it went and that advance voting was a popular option.

Surrey’s advance voting figures are posted at https://www.surrey.ca/2026-municipal-election/advance-voting-turnout. There will be 52 voting locations across Surrey on final voting day, Oct. 17. The locations map is at https://www.surrey.ca/sites/default/files/media/documents/2026_Voting_Locations_Map.pdf.