The last provincial election that took place in British Columbia was unique in many ways. It was called early, it happened in the middle of a global pandemic, and it was the first one since 1991 to be held in a month that was not May.

In 2020, with concerns about COVID-19 still in the minds of many residents, more than three in 10 voters in British Columbia (31.4 per cent) sent their ballots through the mail. In the 2017 provincial election, only 0.3 per cent of votes were cast this way.

The proportion of residents who exercised their franchise on election day fell from 60.8 per cent in 2017 to 28.8 per cent in 2020. There was a bit of a shift in advance voting as well, with 35.4 per cent of voters in British Columbia choosing this option in 2020 (up from 30.2 per cent in 2017).

Research Co. recently asked British Columbians who they were planning to vote for later this year. We also asked how, and the results suggest a return to pre-pandemic behaviours. More than half (52 per cent) expect to cast their ballot on election day, just over one in five (21 per cent) will rely on advance voting and fewer than one in ten (eight per cent) intend to request a mail-in ballot.

We also queried British Columbians about six activities that are customary during political campaigns. Establishing actual contact with contenders is the least-preferred one. Only 29 per cent of........

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