The BC Liberals and NDP are squabbling over how the COVID-19 pandemic might affect voter turnout in Saturday’s election.
Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson defended a news release from his party on Tuesday that questioned NDP Leader John Horgan’s decision to call the election a year early, arguing it “is suppressing voter turnout and putting those that do vote at risk.”
Horgan said Wilkinson is off base, adding that almost 500,000 people have voted in advance polls and more than 700,000 mail-in ballots have been requested.
He said those numbers show the level of interest in the campaign.
Green Leader Sonia Furstenau campaigned Tuesday on her party’s pandemic economic recovery plan.
But she also rejected suggestions that the best way to unite progressive voters is to back the NDP, saying people should cast their ballots out of inspiration or hope.
On Tuesday, the latest election survey from Angus Reid suggested that the gap had narrowed slightly between the NDP and the BC Liberals.
The data highlighted that support for the NDP had dropped four points to 45 per cent in the span of a week. The BC Liberals gained two points over last week, moving to 35 per cent, while the Greens were up two points to 16 per cent.
The marketing institute also pointed out that early voters heavily favoured the NDP, however, those yet to vote are split almost evenly between the two main parties.
British Columbians have one final day to visit the advance voting stations, which will be open until 8 p.m. on Wednesday, October 21.
The official election will be held on October 24, however, results aren’t expected to be finalized for several days due to the heavy volume of mail-in ballots.
With files to the Canadian Press
Graham Cox
