Skip to content 
A steady stream of voters turned out at the Parkinson Recreation Center on Wednesday, the third day of campaigning ahead of Kelowna’s Oct. 17 municipal election.
The city says voter turnout on the first day of the primary, Oct. 7, was about double what it was on the same day during the 2022 election.
“On day one, the Oct. 7 primary, we saw about double the number of votes we received on the same day in the 2022 election,” said Chief Election Officer Michael Jud.
The strong turnout comes as voters prepare to choose who will lead the growing city, with public safety, development and transportation among the issues in focus.
With 37 candidates vying for the council seat and sidelining several incumbents, the race is also expected to bring significant changes to the council.
“I think it’s certainly the interest in the candidates and the change on the council, the four new people that will be elected,” said Kelowna voter Michael Winter.
Kelowna isn’t the only community seeing strong pre-election numbers.
Get breaking national news
Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox as it happens, so you don’t miss a trending story.
Political scientist Stewart Prest says the trend is being seen in municipalities across B.C
While there may be several factors, including overlapping municipal and provincial elections, Prest says it could also indicate an appetite for change.
“We know that in a number of municipalities around the province, there is frustration with the direction that the city government has taken their communities,” said Prest. “And that’s why people who are afraid to see the government move in one direction, have their votes count, they’re more likely to turn up early.”
It remains to be seen, however, whether the strong pre-election numbers will translate into a higher overall voter turnout.
In the 2022 Kelowna civic election, approximately 30 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot.
“We’ll have to wait and see if this actually means an increase in turnout more generally, which as a political scientist, I hope is what we see, because these decisions are really important.”
There are two more preliminary voting days scheduled for Thursday and Friday before general election day on Saturday.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
