Early B.C. election results show Conservatives, NDP virtually tied

Results are being tallied in British Columbia's provincial election after an intense campaign that drew out a record number of advance voters to choose between the dominant incumbent and, until a few months ago, an entirely unexpected challenger.

Based on very early results and with a million votes counted, the B.C. Conservatives and B.C. NDP are essentially in a dead heat. The Conservatives were leading in 48 ridings as of 8:30 p.m. PT, while the NDP led in 43.

The Greens led in two ridings, though party leader Sonia Furstenau lost her seat after leaving her riding of Cowichan Valley to run for the first time in Victoria–Beacon Hill. 

B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad has also elected in his longtime seat in Nechako Lakes, which he has held since 2005.

To win a majority, a party has to take at least 47 of the 93 seats in the Legislature.

The election was largely a story about whether or not the B.C. Conservatives could complete its stunning political rise to topple David Eby's B.C. NDP, or whether the incumbent party could hold onto its commanding power in the Legislature.

Elections B.C. expected results to be available quickly because the office is using a new electronic voting system for the first time instead of paper ballots.

If voters elect leader John Rustad's party, the province will have its first Conservative government in nearly a century. If voters stick to the status quo and back Eby's party, the province will have its fourth consecutive NDP government.

Regardless of the outcome, Rustad's unlikely rise has been a remarkable story in B.C. politics.

Rustad, 61, became party leader after he was kicked out of the Official Opposition, then known as the B.C. Liberals, over his views on climate change. In just two years, he steered the fledgling Conservatives to a level of popularity that sank his old party, which had disastrously rebranded as B.C. United.

The Conservatives and NDP ran candidates in each of the province's 93 ridings, while Sonia Furstenau's Green Party had 69 candidates.

A record 40 Independents also ran, including six high-profile incumbent MLAs.

Reflecting a change in politics that extends far beyond the province, the election this fall saw a campaign riddled with harmful rhetoric and personal attacks against candidates on both sides. 

More than a million people voted ahead of election day, marking a record number for advance voting in the province.