Monday March 9, 2026 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The next general local elections will be held on October 17, 2026.
This is an important civic process that produces community-level leaders who make significant decisions that affect the lives of everyone in households as well as property owners and small businesses as well as community-level organizations.
Who stands for election:
General local elections include elections for:
- mayors and municipal councillors
- regional district directors
- school boards trustees
- specified parks boards
- local community commissions, and
- the Islands Trust.
Who manages the elections:
Unlike provincial elections which are directly overseen by Elections BC, local elections are not managed by one organization.
Each local government is responsible for running its own local elections including the functions of voting, counting, reporting results, and accepting candidate nominations.
Elections BC is responsible for administering the campaign financing and election advertising rules in the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act.
Key dates:
- The election period officially began on January 1, 2026.
- Voter registration can be done through Elections BC up to August 18, 2026 (or later with municipalities).
- Candidate nominations run September 1 to 11, 2026, then official campaigns begin on September 19.
- General voting will be on October 17, 2026.
Following local election news:
Island Social Trends will be covering local elections across Vancouver Island, with a focus on the 13 municipalities of the Greater Victoria area as well as the school districts inthe south Vancouver Island region (SD61, SD62, SD62 and SD79).
- Follow BC Local Election News within this news portal: BC Municipal – Mayors & Councils | BC School Districts
- For additional background and analysis, get signed up for the weekly Island Social Trends Premium ENews (sent by email to subscribers).
===== RELATED:
NEWS SECTIONS: BC SCHOOL DISTRICTS | BC MAYOR & COUNCIL ELECTIONS 2026 | MUNICIPAL & CIVIC | VOTING PROCESS