British Columbia’s 2026 local government elections saw a substantial turnover of elected officials, and a modest rebound in voter participation. Province-wide figures provided by CivicInfo show that turnout remained below one-third of eligible voters, incumbents were successful in well over 70% of local races, and roughly half of elected positions changed hands.
Voter Turnout
Over the past three general elections, there has been a steady downward trend in municipal elector participation with turnout of estimated eligible voters falling below 30% in 2022 following the easing of COVID pandemic restrictions.
- 2014: 33.3%
- 2018: 35.7%
- 2022: 29.2%
- 2026: 32.8%
Regional district turnout, which is typically lower than the municipal figure, saw turnout rates of 22.8% (2014) 26.4% (2018) 23.3% (2022) and 24.7% this election.
While these figures are not lower than the 2022 results, they continue to show that less than 1 in 3 eligible voters are exercising their voting right in local elections.
Attrition
Attrition rates show the cumulative turnover on councils, between elected officials who chose not to run again and those who were not re-elected. Over the past three elections, attrition rates consistently come in at around a 50% turnover.
- 2018: 49.2%
- 2022: 46.6 %
- 2026: 51.0%
Experience
With nearly 50% of local elected positions seeing change in each election, the percentage of newly elected leaders with no prior elected experience is considerable. This year there are 429 new elected officials with no prior local government experience – that is 37.8% on municipal councils and 25.2% of electoral area directors.
This makes onboarding and orientation critical to a successful transition. Local governments are already beginning their own orientation programs, and the Local Government Leadership Academy will host five regional seminars to supplement this work.
Elected Official Seminars are offered every four years after the general election, in each region of the province. Registration opens October 28.
- Lower Mainland: December 9-11
- Vancouver Island: January 13-15
- Southern Interior: January 20-22
- North Central: January 27-29
- Kootenay-Boundary: February 3-5
Incumbent Success
While there has been considerable attention given to defeated incumbents in the 2026 election, the success of incumbents across the province remains high. This year 70.6% of municipal candidates and 81.3% of regional district candidates were successful in their bid for re-election.
Election night results tend to skew perceptions of incumbent because they focus on communities where there are tight races, and limit consideration of communities where current office holders have been acclaimed. This year 22.5% of mayors and 47.2% of regional district directors were acclaimed, bolstering the overall figures for incumbent success.