| Term | Definition |
| Absentee voting | An opportunity to vote for people who do not vote at their assigned voting place because they are away from home or for other reasons. Absentee ballots are counted at final count. [Election Act, s. 73 (d), (e)] |
| Advance voting | An opportunity to vote before General Voting Day. Advance voting is held between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. over six consecutive days before General Voting Day. [Election Act, s. 73, 76, 97, CEO Order] |
| Ballot | A piece of paper used by voters to mark their choice in an election. [Election Act, s. 86] |
| Ballot box | A sealed container for marked ballots that cannot be opened without breaking the seals. [Election Act, s. 85] |
| By-election | An election held between general elections to fill an empty seat in the Legislative Assembly. When an MLA resigns, is disqualified from sitting, dies, or is successfully recalled, a by-election is held. More than one by-election can be held on the same day. [Constitution Act, s. 35; Election Act, s. 1, 25; Recall and Initiative Act, s. 26-28] |
| Campaign period | The time between when an election is called and the close of voting on General Voting Day. [Election Act, s. 1] |
| Campaign period election advertising | The transmission to the public of a message that promotes or opposes, directly or indirectly, a registered political party or the election of a candidate during a campaign period. Campaign period election advertising includes an advertising message that takes a position on an issue with which a registered political party or candidate is associated with, and canvassing voters on a commercial basis in an attempt to influence how they vote. [Election Act, s. 1] |
| Candidate | An individual who stands for election to the Legislative Assembly. To become a candidate, an individual must meet the requirements of the Election Act, file nomination documents and receive a certificate of candidacy from Elections BC. For election financing and election advertising purposes, a candidate includes an individual who becomes a candidate or who was a candidate. [Election Act, s. 1, 52-68] |
| Candidate representative (Scrutineer) | An individual appointed in writing by a candidate or the candidate’s official agent to watch the voting, registration in conjunction with voting and counting proceedings in an election. [Election Act, s. 70] |
| Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) | An independent Officer of the Legislature appointed by the Lieutenant Governor on the recommendation of the Legislative Assembly. The Chief Electoral Officer supervises and administers the provincial electoral process. [Election Act, s. 1, 4-13] |
| Constituency | See Electoral District. |
| Constituency association | An organization formed for an electoral district as the local organization of a political party or as the local organization to support an independent Member of the Legislative Assembly for that electoral district. [Election Act, s. 157] |
| Deputy District Electoral Officer (DDEO) | A person appointed by the Chief Electoral Officer to help the District Electoral Officer (DEO) conduct elections in an electoral district. If the DEO becomes unable to carry out their duties, the DDEO takes on their role. More than one DDEO can be appointed to an electoral district. In such cases, the Chief Electoral Officer decides which DDEO will act as DEO if that person is no longer able to carry out their duties. [Election Act, s. 18-21] |
| Deputy District Registrar of Voters (DDRV) | A person appointed by the Chief Electoral Officer to help the District Registrar of Voters prepare and maintain the provincial voters list in an electoral district. [Election Act, s. 22, 23] |
| District Electoral Officer (DEO) | A person appointed by the Chief Electoral Officer to conduct elections in an electoral district. [Election Act, s. 18-21, 88] |
| District Registrar of Voters (DRV) | A person appointed by the Chief Electoral Officer to prepare and maintain the provincial voters list in one or more electoral districts. [Election Act, s. 22, 23] |
| Election advertising | See campaign period election advertising or pre-campaign period election advertising. |
| Elections BC (EBC) | The usual name for the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer. Elections BC administers the electoral process in B.C. This includes provincial general elections and by-elections, provincial referendums, and recall and initiative petitions and votes. [Election Act, s. 10 (1)] |
| Eligible individual | An individual who is a resident of British Columbia and either a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada. [Election Act, s. 1] |
| Electoral district (ED) | A geographic area represented by a single Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). Electoral districts are also called constituencies or ridings. [Constitution Act, s. 18; Electoral Districts Act] |
| Enumeration | A registration event directed to all eligible voters or specific groups of voters in one or more electoral districts. An enumeration is an opportunity to identify and register people who are eligible to vote but have not yet registered. The information collected in an enumeration is used to update the provincial voters list. [Election Act, s. 42-44] |
| Final count | The count by the District Electoral Officer of the ballots in certification envelopes. Certification envelopes contain the ballots from absentee voting, alternative absentee voting and special voting. Final count ordinarily begins on Day 41 (the 41st day after an election is called) but may begin later depending on the volume of absentee ballots cast during an election. [Election Act, s. 127-137] |
| Financial agent | An individual appointed to manage the finances of an individual or group. Registered political parties, registered constituency associations, candidates, leadership contestants and nomination contestants must appoint a financial agent. [Election Act, s. 175-178] |
| General election | Elections called on the same date for all the electoral districts in the province. [Election Act, s. 1, 24, 26-28] |
| General Voting Day (GVD) | The day when an election is held. General Voting Day is Day 28 and must fall on a Saturday. [Election Act, s. 27] |
| Independent | A candidate or MLA who does not represent a political party. [Election Act, s. 1] |
| Initial count | The counting of ballots from advance voting and general voting after voting ends on General Voting Day. Candidate representatives are allowed to watch the count. After the initial count, the District Electoral Officer may announce the preliminary results of the election. Final results are determined after final count, when the ballots from absentee, alternative absentee and special voting are counted. [Election Act, s. 115-126] |
| Judicial recount | A recount by the B.C. Supreme Court of some or all of the votes in an election. If the candidates with the most votes are tied, or if the top two candidates are separated by less than 1/500 of the total votes considered, the District Electoral Officer must apply for a judicial recount. Voters and candidates can also apply for a judicial recount if they believe the ballots were not counted properly. [Election Act, s. 139-145] |
| Legislative Assembly | A body composed of all elected members (MLAs), who each represent a single electoral district. The role of the Legislative Assembly is to pass legislation, approve public finances, and scrutinize government. [Constitution Act, s. 17] |
| Legislature of British Columbia | The formal name for the body that makes provincial laws. It includes the Lieutenant Governor and the Legislative Assembly. For a Bill to become law, it must be passed by the Legislative Assembly and assented to by the Lieutenant Governor. |
| Lieutenant Governor | The representative of the Queen in British Columbia. Along with other formal powers, the Lieutenant Governor can dissolve the Legislative Assembly and order a general election. In practice, this power is exercised at the request of the Premier. [Constitution Act, s. 3, 23] |
| List of Future Voters | A list of eligible 16- and 17-year-olds who will be automatically added to the Provincial Voters of List when they turn 18. [Election Act, s. 51.02] |
| Major political party | A registered political party that is eligible to have a representative on the Election Advisory Committee. [Election Act, s. 1] |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) | A person elected to represent an electoral district in the Legislative Assembly. [Constitution Act, s. 18] |
| National Register of Electors (NRoE) | A list of registered voters maintained by the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada for use in federal elections. The NRoE is also used to update the provincial voters list. [Canada Elections Act, s. 44-56] |
| Nomination period | The period when a person can be nominated as a candidate. To become a candidate, nominees must file nomination documents with the Chief Electoral Officer or the District Electoral Officer for the electoral district in which they want to run. [Election Act, s. 1, 56, 57] |
| Official agent | An individual appointed by a candidate to serve as their representative during an election. An individual can be appointed as both the financial agent and the official agent of the same candidate. [Election Act, s. 1, 69] |
| Political party | An organization that has as a primary purpose the fielding of candidates for election to the Legislative Assembly. [Election Act, s. 155] |
| Pre-campaign period | The period beginning 60 days before the campaign period for a fixed-date general election and ending on the day before the writs of election are issued. Note: the pre-campaign period does not apply for by-elections or general elections not conducted in accordance with section 23(2) of the Constitution Act. [Election Act, s. 1] |
| Pre-campaign period election advertising | The transmission to the public by a third party sponsor of a message that directly promotes or opposes a registered political party or the election of a candidate during the 60 day pre-campaign period. [Election Act, s. 1] |
| Provincial Voters List | A list prepared by the Chief Electoral Officer that contains the names and addresses of registered voters in each electoral district. [Election Act, s. 45-51] |
| Rejected ballot |
A ballot that is rejected during counting and not counted toward the total votes for any candidate. A ballot is rejected if it:
[Election Act, s. 123] |
| Return Day | The day when the District Electoral Officer must return the writ of election and other documents to the Chief Electoral Officer. Return Day is usually Day 50 (the 50th day after an election is called). [Election Act, s. 146] |
| Riding | See Electoral District. |
| Scrutineer | See Candidate representative. |
| Specified fundraising function | A fundraising function held for the purpose of raising funds for a major political party (including its constituency associations, candidates and leadership contestants) and is attended by a leader of a major political party, a parliamentary secretary or a member of the Executive Council. [Election Act, s. 1, 185.01, 185.02] |
| Special voting opportunity | An opportunity to vote for eligible voters who cannot visit a regular voting place. This may be because these voters have a disability or because they are in a hospital, a mental health facility, a long-term care facility, a remote work site or a correctional centre. This voting opportunity includes telephone voting. [Election Act, s. 77, 98] |
| Spoiled ballot | A ballot that is marked inappropriately or in such a way that it would be rejected. If a voter spoils their ballot and would like a replacement, they can do so by giving the spoiled ballot to an election official. [Election Act, s. 113] |
| Statement of Votes (SOV) | A report prepared by the Chief Electoral Officer after an election or referendum. The report contains a review of the proceedings and results of the electoral event, and is submitted to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. [Election Act, s. 13 (1) (b)] |
| Time | All times referred to in the Election Act are local times, except for the close of nominations and voting hours on General Voting Day, which are Pacific time. [Election Act, s. 2] |
| Voter | An individual who meets the qualifications to be registered as a voter. [Election Act, s. 29, 31] |
| Voter registration official | A person appointed by the District Registrar of Voters on a temporary basis to help register voters in an electoral district. [Election Act, s. 23] |
| Voting area (VA) | A smaller geographical area within an electoral district, which is used to assign voters to voting places. [Election Act, s. 1, 80] |
| Voting book | A book that contains a record of who voted at a specific voting station or voting opportunity or used a voting option. [Election Act, s. 84] |
| Voting clerk (VC) | A person appointed by the District Electoral Officer to help the Voting Officer. [Election Act, s. 19, 88] |
| Voting officer (VO) | The election official appointed by the District Electoral Officer to conduct the vote at a particular voting station. [Election Act, s. 19, 88] |
| Voting place | The building or facility where advance voting is held or where voters of one or more voting areas are assigned to vote on General Voting Day. [Election Act, s. 1, 81] |
| Voting screen | A screen in a voting place where voters go to mark their ballot in private. [Election Act, s. 83] |
| Voting station | A table in a voting place with a Voting Officer and a ballot box. Voters in a voting area are assigned to vote at a voting station. [Election Act, s. 82] |
| Writ of election | A formal order signed by the Chief Electoral Officer and the Lieutenant Governor that directs a District Electoral Officer to conduct an election. An election is called when the writ of election has been issued. In a general election, a writ is issued for every electoral district in the province. [Election Act, s. 1, 26] |
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