NDP Gains Ground in Tight B.C. Election as Absentee Ballots Set to Decide Outcome
The outcome of British Columbia’s 2024 election remains uncertain, with approximately 22,000 absentee ballots set to be counted on Monday. After a weekend of tallying mail-in ballots, no clear winner has emerged, though the NDP has made slight gains in key ridings.
In the tight race for the Juan de Fuca-Malahat seat, the NDP now leads the B.C. Conservatives by 113 votes, an increase from 20. A similar trend is seen in Surrey City Centre, where the NDP’s lead has grown to 178 votes from a previous 93. Both ridings are now subject to manual recounts due to the close margins.
Meanwhile, in Surrey-Guildford, the NDP has closed the gap to just 12 votes behind the Conservatives, down from 103. The final outcome in this and other ridings will likely depend on the absentee ballots. Kelowna Centre also saw the Conservative lead narrow, but the party still maintains a 68-vote advantage.
Elections B.C. will continue to post updates throughout Monday as absentee votes are counted. If the final results show extremely narrow margins, some ridings may undergo judicial recounts.
The NDP currently leads in 46 seats, while the Conservatives hold 45. The B.C. Greens have secured two seats. With 47 seats needed to form a majority, Monday’s count could be decisive in determining which party will lead the province.