Voting in the 2026 Nanaimo-area local elections? Here’s what you need to know

General local elections will take place across B.C. on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. Not sure where and how to vote? Here’s our voting guide for electing your City of Nanaimo mayor and council, Nanaimo-Ladysmith public school trustees (School District 68) and Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) directors.

Heads up: a provincial general election has also been called for Saturday, Oct. 24, one week after local voting day, with provincial advance voting Oct. 16 to 21. The two elections are separate, with different voting places and rules. This guide covers the Oct. 17 local election only.

We will update this guide with more stories and information as it becomes available.

Am I eligible to vote in the local election?

To vote as a resident elector, you must be:

• 18 or older on voting day (Oct. 17, 2026)
• a Canadian citizen
• a resident of B.C. for at least six months before you register to vote (for anyone registering on general voting day, that means living in B.C. since April 16, 2026 or earlier)
• a resident of the municipality or electoral area where you are voting
• not disqualified from voting by law

If you live elsewhere but own property in a jurisdiction, you may be able to vote there as a non-resident property elector. You must have owned the property for at least 30 days before registering (Sept. 16, 2026 or earlier for voting day). Only one owner per property can vote, with written consent from a majority of owners, and property held by a corporation or in trust doesn’t qualify.

Indigenous and non-Indigenous electors living on reserve can vote in the municipal or electoral area boundary the reserve is located within, which may be the Regional District of Nanaimo or the City of Nanaimo. To find out, you can contact the chief election officer.

If you live on a Snuneymuxw reserve, you may be eligible to vote in the City of Nanaimo’s local election. The city’s municipal boundary was recently extended to include IR’s 1, 2, 3 and 4, meaning people living on those reserves can vote for City of Nanaimo mayor and councillors as long as they meet the other voter eligibility requirements.

The Regional District of Nanaimo also lists which First Nations Reserve lands are located within the boundaries of the RDN’s electoral areas, as well as where and when electors living on reserve lands can vote.

What ID do I need?

If you’re already on the voters list, you may not need ID. If you register when you vote, bring two pieces of identification, with at least one that has your signature. Together they must prove who you are and where you live. Photo ID is not required. Accepted documents include a B.C. driver’s licence, BCID, B.C. Services Card, Status Card, property tax notice, utility bill and others. If you can’t prove your address, you can bring two pieces of identity and make a solemn declaration of residence. Non-resident property electors also need proof of ownership (e.g. a property tax notice, BC Assessment notice or title certificate) and the co-owner consent form if applicable.

The City of Nanaimo says voters who are already registered in advance don’t need to present documents, they just need to sign a declaration to receive a ballot. Voters registering on the spot need two pieces of ID as above.

Where and when can I vote?

City of Nanaimo:

Advance voting: Wednesday, Oct. 7 and Wednesday, Oct. 14, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Beban Park Social Centre, 2300 Bowen Rd.

Mail-in ballots: Apply by 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16. Application forms are available at City Hall’s Legislative Services Office (455 Wallace St.) or online. Your ballot must be received by the Chief Election Officer by 8 p.m. on Oct. 17. Postmarks don’t count.

General voting day: Saturday, Oct. 17, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. City of Nanaimo voters can vote at any of these locations:

• Beban Park Social Centre, 2300 Bowen Rd.
• Brechin Elementary School, 510 Millstone Ave.
• Chase River Elementary School, 1503 Cranberry Ave.
• City of Nanaimo Service and Resource Centre, 411 Dunsmuir St.
• Dover Bay Secondary School, 6135 McGirr Rd.
• John Barsby Secondary School, 550 Seventh St.
• Nanaimo District Secondary School, 355 Wakesiah Ave.
• Protection Island Fire Hall, 26 Pirates Lane (10:00 am to 6:00 pm only)
• Randerson Ridge Elementary School, 6021 Nelson Rd.
• Uplands Park Elementary School, 3821 Stronach Dr.
• Wellington Secondary School, 3135 Mexicana Rd.

Unlike provincial elections where voters are assigned a location to cast their vote, the city of Nanaimo uses a “vote anywhere” model so voters can choose the location most convenient for them. The city has also created an interactive map to help voters find the most convenient voting places.

Regional District of Nanaimo electoral areas:

Only Areas C, E and F have contested director races this year (see candidates below), but RDN voters may still have school trustee, Islands Trust or referendum questions to vote on. All voting runs from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Advance voting: Wednesday, Oct. 7 and Wednesday, Oct. 14. Locations for advance voting in the RDN can be found here.

Mail-in ballots: All eligible electors in Areas A, B, C, E, F, G and H can vote by mail. Apply by email (vote@rdn.bc.ca), mail, fax, phone or in person. Applications close at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15. Ballots must be received at the RDN office, 6300 Hammond Bay Rd., by 8 p.m. Oct. 17. Voters pay any postage.

General voting day: Saturday, Oct. 17, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Curbside voting is available at every location. A list of voting locations can be found here.

The Regional District of Nanaimo also has an interactive “Where to Vote” map tool available online.

Who are the 2026 candidates?

Incumbents are marked with an asterisk (*). Any members of a slate have been noted.

City of Nanaimo mayor (one seat, four candidates)

• Brunie Brunie
• Anne Marie Dryden (REAL Nanaimo)
• Leonard Krog*
• Sarah Lovegrove

City of Nanaimo council (eight seats, 40 candidates)

• Jeff Annesley (REAL Nanaimo) 
• Sheryl Armstrong*
• Sandy Bartlett (REAL Nanaimo), 
• Ken Bennett
• Marnie Boers 
• Jackie Bolen
• Mark Chandler
• Paul Chapman 
• Malcolm Cooke (REAL Nanaimo)
• Andréa Coutu
• Shane Crawley 
• Ryan Djakovic 
• Hilary Eastmure* 
• Joe Figel (REAL Nanaimo)
• Meg Fyfe Watkins 
• Ben Geselbracht*
• Bryan Gordon (REAL Nanaimo) 
• Anita Greer 
• Patrick Gunville 
• Derek Hanna (REAL Nanaimo) 
• Richard Harlow
• Erin Hemmens* 
• Steven Johns
• Cameron Leckenby 
• Max MacKay 
• Paul Manly* 
• Bryant Marshall 
• Bill McKay
• Andrew Merilees 
• Matthew Miller 
• Zaki Mohammed 
• Rod Moreno 
• Janice Perrino* 
• Rob Phelan 
• Frank Pluta (REAL Nanaimo) 
• Austin Seng 
• Holden Southward 
• Ian Thorpe*
• Paul Van Ryssel 
• Angela Hope Waldick

Nanaimo-Ladysmith school trustees, SD68 (nine seats, 11 candidates, elected at large)

• Tania Brzovic*
• Adrianne Cafariello 
• Kailey Gillam 
• Tim Harris*
• Leanne Lee* 
• Zeni Maartman 
• Fred MacDonald 
• Chantelle Morvay* 
• Leana Pellegrin* 
• Mark Robinson*
• Tom Rokeby*

The Nanaimo District Teachers’ Association is hosting a trustee candidates forum Thursday, Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. at Beban Park Social Centre. People can attend in-person or virtually on Facebook Live.

Stories from The Discourse:

What are Nanaimo election candidates saying about the climate emergency?

Here’s how Nanaimo local election candidates will respond to homelessness and mental health crises

Here’s what Nanaimo local election candidates have to say about data centres

Local candidate questionnaires:

Forward Nanaimo

Nanaimo Tennis

Restore Island Rail Society

More Nanaimo election stories

NanaimoNewsNOW’s “Know Your Vote” matching tool

Candidate biographies compiled by Nanaimo News Now 

Regional District of Nanaimo directors

Four RDN directors were acclaimed (elected unopposed): Jessica Stanley* (Area A), Vanessa Craig* (Area B, Gabriola, DeCourcy and Mudge Islands), Lehann Wallace* (Area G) and Stuart McLean* (Area H).

Area C (Extension, East Wellington, Pleasant Valley): 

• Nicholas Greer 
• Lauren Melanson*

Area E (Nanoose Bay): 

• Peter Njenga
• Joe Ringwald
• Paul Stephen 

Area F (Coombs, Hilliers, Errington): 

• Chris Burger
• Leanne Salter*

Referendum, Area E (Nanoose Bay Peninsula Water Service Area only): Voters will be asked whether the RDN should adopt Bylaw No. 1969, 2026, authorizing it to borrow up to $1,753,924 over no more than 10 years to replace the Carmichael Road watermain.

Editor’s Note Oct. 7, 2026: This article was updated to add Hope to Angela Hope Waldick’s name to reflect the name as it appears on the ballot.