The Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay riding recorded the highest advance voter turnout in the Southern Interior for 2025 federal election, according to preliminary figures from Elections Canada.
Between Friday, April 18 and Monday, April 21, a total of 29,743 ballots were cast during advance voting, with polls open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
At the other end of the spectrum, the newly formed Kelowna riding had the lowest early turnout, with 25,406 votes cast. Neighbouring Okanagan Lake West—South Kelowna saw 29,483 early voters.
In Vernon—Lake Country—Monashee, 27,359 people voted early, while Columbia—Kootenay—Southern Rockies saw 24,630 advance ballots cast.
Across the country, B.C. experienced the third-highest increase in advance voter turnout compared to the 2021 election. More than 1.1 million British Columbians voted early this year, up 36 per cent from 813,000 in 2021.
Newfoundland and Labrador led the country with a 53 per cent increase in early voting—75,691 advance ballots were cast this year, compared to 49,424 in 2021.
Nationally, 7.3 million Canadians voted in advance polls this year, a 25 per cent rise from the 5.8 million advance votes cast in the 2021 election.
