Mail ballots for Maple Ridge’s Oct. 17 local election available starting Sept. 17

With one month remaining until Maple Ridge’s 2026 local general election on Saturday, Oct. 17, eligible voters can apply for and receive mail ballots beginning Thursday, Sept. 17. Mail-ballot information and applications are available at MapleRidge.ca/GoVote and at City Hall.

Carolyn Mushata, director of legislative services and chief election officer, said voters may cast ballots by mail, at an advance voting opportunity or on general voting day. The election will select one mayor, six councillors and five school trustees for School District No. 42. Those elected will serve four-year terms from November 2026 to October 2030. A full candidate list is available at MapleRidge.ca/2026Candidates.

Voters will also decide three separate assent vote questions on proposed long-term borrowing for Recreation Ready projects: the Hammond Aquatics and Recreation Centre, Hammond Multi-Use Community Park and the Albion Twin-Rink Arena expansion. Each question will be decided separately and will pass if more than 50 per cent of valid votes cast are Yes.

Completed mail ballots must reach the chief election officer by 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, to be counted. Voters are encouraged to apply early and allow sufficient time to return their completed ballot packages. They are responsible for return postage or for delivering completed ballots to an approved drop-off location; late mail ballots will not be accepted.

Advance voting will be held Oct. 7 at Albion Community Centre, 24165 104 Ave., or St. Luke’s Hall, 20285 Dewdney Trunk Rd.; Oct. 10 at Ridge Meadows Seniors Activity Centre, 12150 224 St.; Oct. 14 at Albion Community Centre or St. Luke’s Hall; and Oct. 15 at Albion Community Centre, St. Luke’s Hall or Fraserview Village Hall, 22610 116 Ave.

General voting-day locations are Whonnock Elementary School, 27471 112 Ave.; Garibaldi Secondary School, 24789 Dewdney Trunk Rd.; Albion Community Centre, 24165 104 Ave.; Yennadon Elementary School, 23347 128 Ave.; Ridge Meadows Seniors Activity Centre, 12150 224 St.; Laity View Elementary School, 21023 123 Ave.; Hammond Elementary School, 11520 203 St.; and Thomas Haney Secondary School, 23000 116 Ave.

Resident electors must be at least 18 on general voting day, have lived in British Columbia for at least six months before registering, reside in Maple Ridge and not be disqualified by law. Maple Ridge will use the Provincial List of Voters; residents already registered as provincial voters will be included on the city’s list of electors and can check their registration at elections.bc.ca. Eligible people not on the list may vote with two pieces of identification showing their name and residential address, such as a B.C. driver’s licence or BC Services Card. People living outside Maple Ridge who own property in the city may be eligible to vote as non-resident property electors.

The City will continue to share non-partisan election information through its website, social media channels and a mailout during the week of Sept. 28.