View source for List of British Columbia general elections

{{Short description|None}}
[[Image:BC elections2.gif|thumb|right|upright=1.6|Number of seats won by major parties at each election]]

Elections to the [[unicameral]] legislative body of the [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Canadian province]] of [[British Columbia]], the [[Legislative Assembly of British Columbia]], are held every four years.<ref name="About-BCE">{{cite web |url=http://www.elections.bc.ca/index.php/about/ |title=About Elections BC |publisher=[[Elections BC]] |access-date=2015-09-18}}</ref> Fixed election dates for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, occurring every four years, were instituted in 2002,<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.bclaws.ca/civix/document/id/bcgaz2/bcgaz2/v45n23_330-2002 |title=B.C. Reg. 330/2002 |journal=The British Columbia Gazette, Part II |volume=45 |issue=23 |publisher=Queen's Printer |location=Victoria, British Columbia, Canada |date=December 17, 2002 |access-date=2015-09-18}}</ref> after the ''Constitution (Fixed Election Dates) Amendment Act (SBC 2001 c.36)'' was passed in 2001.<ref name="Electoral_History" /> The regular election date for the Legislative Assembly is set to occur on the third Saturday in October in the fourth calendar year after the previous election,<ref name="ConstAct23">[http://www.bclaws.ca/EPLibraries/bclaws_new/document/ID/freeside/00_96066_01#section23 Constitution Act, s. 23].</ref> with the next election scheduled on or before October 21, 2028.

The number of seats has increased over time, from 25 for the first election in 1871, to the current 87.<ref name="1871–1986">{{cite web |url=http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/1871-1986_ElectoralHistoryofBC.pdf |title=Electoral History of British Columbia 1871–1986 |work=Elections British Columbia |publisher=Queen's Printer for British Columbia |location=Victoria |pages=2–3 |date=1988 |access-date=2015-08-29}}</ref><ref name="1987–2001">{{cite web |url=http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/1987-2001-ElectionHistory.pdf |title=Electoral History of British Columbia Supplement, 1987–2001 |work=Legislative Library, British Columbia |publisher=Queen's Printer for British Columbia |location=Victoria |pages=5, 21, 37 |date=2002 |access-date=2015-08-29}}</ref><ref name="2002–2013">{{cite web |url=http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/2002-2013-ElectionHistory.pdf |title=Electoral History of British Columbia Supplement 2002–2013 |work=Elections BC and the Legislative Library of British Columbia |location=Victoria, B.C. |pages=6, 20, 34 |date=2014 |access-date=2015-08-29}}</ref>

Every election from 1871 to 1986 elected a portion of its MLAs from multi-member constituencies, usually two-member constituencies. Voters in these districts had as many votes as there were seats (block-voting), and generally the party with the most supporters in the district filled all the seats, with no representation left for the others. This generally helped ensure the sitting government's capture of the most seats. (It also makes the "popular vote", the votes cast, not truly reflective of the sentiment of the voters, due to some voters casting two (or more votes) and others only one.)

Until the 1903 election, British Columbia politics were officially non-partisan – political parties were not part of the official process.<ref name="1871–1986#2">{{cite web |url=http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/1871-1986_ElectoralHistoryofBC.pdf |title=Electoral History of British Columbia 1871–1986 |work=Elections British Columbia |publisher=Queen's Printer for British Columbia |location=Victoria |page=6 |date=1988 |access-date=2015-08-30}}</ref> One of the first parties to be noticed in BC politics, the Nationalist Party espoused "National Socialism", based on Edward Bellamy's writings, and favoured nationalization of industry. Its candidate Robert Macpherson was elected MLA in 1894 and 1898.<ref>Encyclopedia of British Columbia, p. 486</ref>

The general non-partisanship changed in the 1898 and 1900 elections with the official listing of party candidates, and federal political parties were recognized in the provincial election of 1903.<ref name="Electoral_History">{{cite web |url=http://www.elections.bc.ca/index.php/resource-centre/electoral-history-of-bc/ |title=Electoral History of BC |work=Elections BC |date=9 May 2008 |publisher=Office of the Legislature of British Columbia |access-date=2015-08-29}}</ref> The first elections held along party lines (1903–1941) were primarily contested by the [[British Columbia Conservative Party|Conservative Party]] (which won five elections during this period) and the [[British Columbia Liberal Party|Liberal Party]] (which won six elections).

For three terms during and immediately after [[World War II]], the legislature was managed by a [[coalition government]] between the Conservatives and the Liberals. The [[British Columbia Social Credit Party|Social Credit Party]] dominated elections from 1952 to 1986, winning eleven of the twelve elections (the single exception a NDP victory). Provincial politics since 1986 have been dominated by the [[New Democratic Party of British Columbia|New Democratic Party]] (NDP) which won both elections held in the 1990s, and by the Liberal Party, which won the [[2001 British Columbia general election|2001 election]] and the next three elections.

Since 2017, the government has been formed by the NDP. From 2017 to 2020, the NDP formed a [[minority government]] with a [[confidence and supply]] agreement with the [[Green Party of British Columbia|Green Party]]. Following the [[2020 British Columbia general election|2020 election]], the NDP formed a [[majority government]].

==Absentee voting==
Contemporary elections in British Columbia use a relatively unique system of handling [[absentee ballot]]s.<ref name=absentee>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/absentee-voting-explained-1.4108548 "Absentee voting explained: why B.C. election results won't be final until at least May 22"]. [[CBC News]], May 10, 2017.</ref> While all jurisdictions in Canada allow for absentee voting through advance communication with the appropriate federal or provincial election agency, British Columbia is unique in allowing same-day absentee voting at any polling station in the province; ballots so cast are not counted locally on election night, however, but are sent to the voter's home riding and counted two weeks after election day.<ref name=absentee/> One important effect of this is that a particularly close race, such as the nine-vote margin that initially separated the main candidates in [[Courtenay-Comox]] in the [[2017 British Columbia general election|2017 election]], may not have a winner officially declared until the absentee ballots have been counted at the later date;<ref name=absentee/> as well, because the absentee vote tends to favour the New Democratic Party rather than the Liberal Party,<ref name=cosh>[https://nationalpost.com/opinion/colby-cosh-b-c-s-election-outcome-is-still-uncertain-and-its-all-thanks-to-their-bizarrely-generous-voting-system "Colby Cosh: B.C.’s election outcome is still uncertain. And it’s all thanks to their bizarrely generous voting system"]. ''[[National Post]]'', May 12, 2017.</ref> a district narrowly won by the Liberals has a higher chance of being flipped by absentee voters than a narrow NDP win does.<ref name=cosh/>

The system exists both to serve commuters in the [[Greater Vancouver Area]], where requiring people to vote at home frequently forced suburban districts to cope with sudden crowds of late voters at the end of the day, pushing past poll closing time and delaying the counting of the results in those areas, and because the province has a much higher than normal proportion of people who work away from home for long periods in remote [[natural resources]] sites.<ref name=cosh/>

== Results ==

===Before 1903===
{| class="wikitable floatright" style="text-align:center;"
|-style="background:#CCCCFF;"
! Year<ref name="1871–1986#4">{{cite web |url=http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/1871-1986_ElectoralHistoryofBC.pdf |title=Electoral History of British Columbia 1871–1986 |work=Elections British Columbia |publisher=Queen's Printer for British Columbia |location=Victoria |pages=9–90 |date=1988 |access-date=2015-08-30}}</ref>
! Seats<ref name="1871–1986" />
! Government
! Non-government
|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|-
! [[1871 British Columbia general election|1871]]
| 25
| colspan=2|''No information available''
|-style="background:#EEEEEE;"
! [[1875 British Columbia general election|1875]]
| 25
! 8
| 17
|-
! [[1878 British Columbia general election|1878]]
| 25
! 8
| 17
|-style="background:#EEEEEE;"
! [[1882 British Columbia general election|1882]]
| 25
! 5
| 20
|-
! [[1886 British Columbia general election|1886]]
| 27
! 19
| 8
|-style="background:#EEEEEE;"
! [[1890 British Columbia general election|1890]]
| 33
! 17
| 16
|-
! [[1894 British Columbia general election|1894]]
| 33
! 20
| 13
|-style="background:#EEEEEE;"
! [[1898 British Columbia general election|1898]]
| 38
! 18
| 20
|-
![[1900 British Columbia general election|1900]]
| 38
! 6
| 32
|}

Prior the [[1903 British Columbia general election|1903 election]], political parties in British Columbia were not officially recognized in provincial elections. During this period, some candidates declared their support for the administration as "Government" candidates, while those not in support ran as "Non-Government" or Independent candidates. However, these pre-election alignments often did not persist once the House was seated as allegiances would frequently shift.<ref name="1871–1986#2" />

While there were no official party lines, there were unofficial yet unstable ones. Premiers [[Amor De Cosmos]] and [[Joseph Martin (Canadian politician)|Joseph Martin]] both sat, at various times, in the federal House of Commons as Liberals, while Premier [[Edward Gawler Prior]] sat in the House of Commons as a Conservative. There was also a clear grouping of members who would often sit in opposition to, or in the cabinet of, certain other premiers. De Cosmos and his unofficial Liberals mutually supported each other (i.e. were in each other's cabinets). These premiers included [[John Foster McCreight|McCreight]], [[George Anthony Walkem|Walkem]], [[Robert Beaven|Bevean]], [[Charles Augustus Semlin|Semlin]], and Martin. Meanwhile, Premiers Prior, [[James Dunsmuir|Dunsmuir]], [[John Herbert Turner|Turner]], [[Alexander Edmund Batson Davie|A.E.B. Davie]], [[John Robson (politician)|Robson]], [[Theodore Davie]], [[William Smithe|Smithe]], and [[Andrew Charles Elliott|Elliot]] sat in each other's cabinets or otherwise supported one another; while premiers from one group often sat in opposition to premiers from the other.

===Since 1903===
{{Anchor|Results|Summary of results}}

{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="7" style="text-align: center;" |Party colour key
|-
| width="5" {{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP|background}} | &nbsp; || width="250" | [[British Columbia New Democratic Party|New Democratic]]
| width="5" {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |&nbsp; || width="150" | [[British Columbia Liberal Party|Liberal]]
| width="5" {{Canadian party colour|BC|Conservative|background}} |&nbsp; || width="300" | [[Conservative Party of British Columbia|Conservative]]{{efn|"Progressive Conservative" from 1942 to 1991}}
|-
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|CCF|background}} | &nbsp; || [[British Columbia New Democratic Party|Co-operative Commonwealth]]
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Green|background}} | &nbsp; || [[Green Party of British Columbia|Green]]
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Social Credit|background}} | &nbsp; || [[British Columbia Social Credit Party|Social Credit]]
|-
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Socialist|background}} | &nbsp; || [[Socialist Party of British Columbia|Socialist]]
| ||
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Reform|background}} | &nbsp; || [[Reform Party of British Columbia|Reform]]
|-
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Labour|background}} | &nbsp; || [[Labour candidates and parties in Canada|Labour]]
| ||
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Provincial|background}} | &nbsp; || [[Provincial Party of British Columbia|Provincial]]
|-
|}

"Other" encompasses [[Independent (politician)|Independent]] seats and parties that never won more than one seat in an election. 

{| class="toccolours" style="margin:0 auto; clear:both;" border="0"
|-style="background:#ccccff"
!Year
!Summary
! colspan="2" |Government
! colspan="2" |Official opposition
! colspan="2" |Third party
! colspan="2" |Fourth party
!Other
!Total seats
|-
! width="40" |[[1903 British Columbia general election|1903]]
|In the first partisan election, the Conservative Party, led by [[Richard McBride]], are elected over the Liberal Party, led by [[James Alexander MacDonald]]. Two Socialists and one labour candidate are elected.
| width="5" {{Canadian party colour|BC|Conservative|background}} |
| width="70" style="text-align: center;" |22
| width="5" {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |
| width="70" style="text-align: center;" |17
| width="5" {{Canadian party colour|BC|Socialist|background}} |
| width="70" style="text-align: center;" |2
| colspan="2" width="40" style="text-align: center;" | –
| width="45" style="text-align: center;" |1
| width="45" style="text-align: center;" |42
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
![[1907 British Columbia general election|1907]]
|The Conservatives, led by Premier McBride, are re-elected, defeating the Liberals, led by MacDonald.
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Conservative|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |26
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |13
| width="5" {{Canadian party colour|BC|Socialist|background}} |
| width="70" style="text-align: center;" |3
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |42
|-
![[1909 British Columbia general election|1909]]
|The Conservatives, led by Premier McBride, are re-elected, defeating the Liberals, led by MacDonald.
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Conservative|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |38
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |2
| width="5" {{Canadian party colour|BC|Socialist|background}} |
| width="70" style="text-align: center;" |2
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |42
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
![[1912 British Columbia general election|1912]]
|The Conservatives, led by Premier McBride, are re-elected. The Liberals, led by [[Harlan Carey Brewster]], lose their seats in the legislature, resulting in the Socialist Party taking the role of Official Opposition.
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Conservative|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |39 
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Socialist|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |1 
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |2
| style="text-align: center;" |42
|-
![[1916 British Columbia general election|1916]]
|The Liberals, led by Brewster, defeat the Conservatives, now led by Premier William John Bowser.
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |36
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Conservative|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |9
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |2
| style="text-align: center;" |47
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
![[1920 British Columbia general election|1920]]
|The Liberals, now led by Premier [[John Oliver (British Columbia politician)|John Oliver]], are re-elected, defeating the Conservatives under Bowser. The [[Labour Parties of British Columbia|Federated Labour Party]] wins three seats.
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |26
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Conservative|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |14
| width="5" {{Canadian party colour|BC|Labour|background}} |
| width="70" style="text-align: center;" |3
| colspan=2 style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |4
| style="text-align: center;" |47
|-
![[1924 British Columbia general election|1924]]
|The Liberals, led by Premier Oliver, are re-elected, defeating the Conservatives under Bowser. The [[Canadian Labour Party]] and [[Provincial Party of British Columbia|Provincial Party]] win three seats each.
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |23
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Conservative|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |17
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Labour|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |3
| width="5" {{Canadian party colour|BC|Provincial|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |3
| style="text-align: center;" |2
| style="text-align: center;" |48
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
![[1928 British Columbia general election|1928]]
|The Conservatives, led by [[Simon Fraser Tolmie]], defeat the Liberals under Premier [[John Duncan MacLean]].
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Conservative|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |35
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |12
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |1
| style="text-align: center;" |48
|-
![[1933 British Columbia general election|1933]]
||The Liberals, led by [[Duff Pattullo]], win election. The new [[British Columbia New Democratic Party|Co-operative Commonwealth Federation]], led by [[Robert Connell (politician)|Robert Connell]], forms the Opposition. The incumbent Conservatives split into multiple factions and win only 4 seats, with the remaining 2 seats going to a Labour member and an independent. [[Columbia (electoral district)|Columbia]] and [[Revelstoke (electoral district)|Revelstoke]] were merged at this election but were re-divided with a by-election held to return the legislature to 48 seats.
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |34
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|CCF|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |7
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Conservative|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |4{{efn|2 Non-Partisan, 1 Unionist, 1 Oxford Group}}
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |2
| style="text-align: center;" |47
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
![[1937 British Columbia general election|1937]]
|The Liberals, led by Premier Pattullo, are re-elected. The Conservatives, reunited under [[Frank Porter Patterson]], form the Opposition.
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |31
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Conservative|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |8
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|CCF|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |7
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |2
| style="text-align: center;" |48
|-
![[1941 British Columbia general election|1941]]
|The Liberals, led by Premier Pattullo, win a plurality of seats and form a [[Coalition government|coalition]], led by Liberal [[John Hart (Canadian politician)|John Hart]] over Pattullo's objection, with the third-place Conservative Party. The CCF, under [[Harold Winch]], form the Opposition.
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |21
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|CCF|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |14
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Conservative|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |12
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |1
| style="text-align: center;" |48
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
![[1945 British Columbia general election|1945]]
|The Liberal–Conservative coalition runs a joint slate of candidates. The Coalition, led by Premier [[John Hart (Canadian politician)|John Hart]], is re-elected, defeating the CCF under Winch.
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Coalition|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |37
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|CCF|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |10
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |1
| style="text-align: center;" |48
|-
![[1949 British Columbia general election|1949]]
|The Coalition, now led by Premier [[Boss Johnson]], is re-elected, defeating the CCF under Winch.
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Coalition|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |39
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|CCF|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |7
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |2
| style="text-align: center;" |48
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
![[1952 British Columbia general election|1952]]
|The Coalition splits, and the Liberals and Conservatives (now Progressive Conservatives) contest the election independently. The new Social Credit Party wins a plurality of seats and forms a [[minority government]] with the support of a labour MLA.
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Social Credit|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |19
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|CCF|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |18
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |6
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Conservative|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |4
| style="text-align: center;" |1
| style="text-align: center;" |48
|-
![[1953 British Columbia general election|1953]]
|The Social Credit Party, led by Premier [[W. A. C. Bennett]], wins a majority government. The CCF, led by [[Arnold Webster]], forms the Opposition.
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Social Credit|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |28
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|CCF|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |14
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |4
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Conservative|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |1
| style="text-align: center;" |1
| style="text-align: center;" |48
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
![[1956 British Columbia general election|1956]]
|The Socreds, led by Premier Bennett, are re-elected over the CCF (led by [[Robert Strachan (politician)|Robert Strachan]]) and the Liberals (led by [[Arthur Laing]]). The Progressive Conservatives lose their only seat in the legislature.
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Social Credit|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |39
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|CCF|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |10
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |2
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |1
| style="text-align: center;" |52
|-
![[1960 British Columbia general election|1960]]
|The Socreds, led by Premier Bennett, are re-elected over the CCF (led by Strachan) and the Liberals (led by [[Ray Perrault]]).
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Social Credit|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |32
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|CCF|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |16
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |4
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |52
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
![[1963 British Columbia general election|1963]]
|The Socreds, led by Premier Bennett, are re-elected over the [[British Columbia New Democratic Party|New Democratic Party]] (formerly the CCF, led by Strachan) and the Liberals (led by Perrault).
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Social Credit|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |33
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |14
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |5
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |52
|-
![[1966 British Columbia general election|1966]]
|The Socreds, led by Premier Bennett, are re-elected over the NDP (led by Strachan) and the Liberals (led by Perrault).
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Social Credit|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |33
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |16
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |6
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |55
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
![[1969 British Columbia general election|1969]]
|The Socreds, led by Premier Bennett, are re-elected over the NDP (led by [[Thomas R. Berger|Thomas Berger]]) and the Liberals (led by [[Pat McGeer]]).
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Social Credit|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |38
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |12
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |5
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |55
|-
![[1972 British Columbia general election|1972]]
|The NDP, led by [[Dave Barrett]], win election. The Socreds, under Bennett, form the Opposition. The Liberals (led by [[David Anderson (British Columbia politician)|David Anderson]]) come third, while the Progressive Conservatives (led by Derril Thomas Warren, who personally does not win a seat) return to the legislature.
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |38
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Social Credit|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |10
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |5
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Conservative|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |2
| style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |55
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
![[1975 British Columbia general election|1975]]
|The Socreds, under new leader [[Bill Bennett]], defeat the NDP, led by Premier Barrett. 
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Social Credit|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |35
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |18
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |1
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Conservative|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |1
| style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |55
|-
![[1979 British Columbia general election|1979]]
|The Socreds, led by Premier Bennett, are re-elected, defeating the NDP led by Barrett. Both the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives are shut out of the legislature.
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Social Credit|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |31
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |26
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |57
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
![[1983 British Columbia general election|1983]]
|The Socreds, led by Premier Bennett, are re-elected, defeating the NDP led by Barrett.
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Social Credit|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |35
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |22
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |57
|-
![[1986 British Columbia general election|1986]]
|The Socreds, led by Premier [[Bill Vander Zalm]], win re-election over the NDP led by [[Bob Skelly]].
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Social Credit|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |47
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |22
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |69
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
![[1991 British Columbia general election|1991]]
|The NDP, led by [[Mike Harcourt]], are elected. The Liberals (under [[Gordon Wilson (British Columbia politician)|Gordon Wilson]]) return to the legislature and form the Opposition, while the Socreds (under Premier [[Rita Johnston]]) fall to third.
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |51
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |17
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Social Credit|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |7
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |75
|-
![[1996 British Columbia general election|1996]]
|The NDP, now led by [[Glen Clark]], is narrowly re-elected over the Liberals, now led by [[Gordon Campbell (Canadian politician)|Gordon Campbell]]. The [[Reform Party of British Columbia|Reform Party]], led by [[Jack Weisgerber]], wins two seats, and Gordon Wilson's [[Progressive Democratic Alliance]] wins one. The once-dominant Social Credit Party disappears from the legislature.
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |39
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |33
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Reform|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |2
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |1
| style="text-align: center;" |75
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
![[2001 British Columbia general election|2001]]
|The Liberals, led by Gordon Campbell, win a landslide victory, nearly shutting the NDP (under Premier [[Ujjal Dosanjh]]) out of the legislature.
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |77
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |2
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |79
|-
![[2005 British Columbia general election|2005]]
|The Liberals, led by Premier Campbell, are re-elected, defeating the NDP under [[Carole James]].
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |46
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |33
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |79
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
![[2009 British Columbia general election|2009]]
|The Liberals, led by Premier Campbell, are re-elected, defeating the NDP under James.
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |49
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |35
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |1
| style="text-align: center;" |85
|-
![[2013 British Columbia general election|2013]]
|The Liberals, led by Premier [[Christy Clark]], are re-elected, defeating the NDP under [[Adrian Dix]]. The Green Party, led by [[Jane Sterk]] (who does not personally win a seat), wins its first seat.
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |49
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |34
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Green|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |1
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |1
| style="text-align: center;" |85
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
!rowspan="2"|[[2017 British Columbia general election|2017]]
|rowspan="2"|The Liberals, led by Clark, win a narrow plurality of seats over the NDP, led by [[John Horgan]]; the Greens under [[Andrew Weaver]] hold the balance of power. The Liberals initially form a minority government but are soon replaced by the NDP under a [[Confidence and supply|confidence-and-supply]] deal with the Greens.
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |43
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |41
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Green|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |3
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |87
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |41
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |43
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Green|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |3
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |87
|-
![[2020 British Columbia general election|2020]]
|The NDP, led by Premier Horgan, are re-elected with a majority government, defeating the Liberals under [[Andrew Wilkinson]].
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |57
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |28
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Green|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |2
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |87
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
! [[2024 British Columbia general election|2024]]
|The NDP, led by [[David Eby]], win a reduced majority after the [[BC United]] party (formerly the BC Liberal party) suspends its campaign and backs the [[BC Conservative Party]]. 
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |47
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Conservative|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |44
| {{Canadian party colour|BC|Green|background}} |
| style="text-align: center;" |2
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" | –
| style="text-align: center;" |93
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee" 
|}

== Results by party ==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;" 
! colspan="2"| Party
! Most seats
! Highest seat %
! Most votes
! Highest vote %
! Elections won

{{Canadian party colour|BC|Conservative|row-name}}
| 44 (2024, 2nd) || 92.9% (1912)
| 910,180 (2024, 2nd) || 59.65% (1912)
| 5
{{Canadian party colour|BC|Green|row-name}}
| 3 (2017, 3rd) || 3.4% (2017, 3rd)
| 332,387 (2017, 3rd) || 16.84% (2017, 3rd)
| 0
{{Canadian party colour|BC|Liberal|row-name}}
| 77 (2001) || 97.5% (2001)
| 916,888 (2001) || 57.62% (2001)
| 11{{efn|This includes the 2017 election, as the Liberals won the most seats.}} 
{{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP|row-name}}
| 57 (2020) || 68.0% (1991)
| 943,915 (2024) || 47.70% (2020)
| 5{{efn|This does not include the 2017 election, as the Liberals won the most seats.}} 
{{Canadian party colour|BC|Social Credit|row-name}}
| 47 (1986) || 75% (1956)
| 954,516 (1986) || 49.76% (1983)
| 11
{{Canadian party colour|BC|Socialist|row-name}}
| 3 (1907) || 7.1 (1907)
| 11,665 (1909, 2nd) || 11.50% (1909, 2nd)
| 0
|}

==See also==
* [[List of premiers of British Columbia]]
* [[List of political parties in British Columbia]]
* [[List of British Columbia by-elections]]
* [[Timeline of Canadian elections]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite web |url=http://www.elections.bc.ca/index.php/resource-centre/electoral-history-of-bc/ |title=Electoral History of BC |work=Elections BC |date=9 May 2008 |publisher=Office of the Legislature of British Columbia |access-date=2015-08-29}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/1871-1986_ElectoralHistoryofBC.pdf |title=Electoral History of British Columbia 1871–1986 |work=Elections British Columbia |publisher=Queen's Printer for British Columbia |location=Victoria |date=1988 |access-date=2015-08-29}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/1987-2001-ElectionHistory.pdf |title=Electoral History of British Columbia Supplement, 1987–2001 |work=Legislative Library, British Columbia |publisher=Queen's Printer for British Columbia |location=Victoria |date=2002 |access-date=2015-08-29}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/2002-2013-ElectionHistory.pdf |title=Electoral History of British Columbia Supplement 2002–2013 |work=Elections BC and the Legislative Library of British Columbia |location=Victoria, B.C. |date=2014 |access-date=2015-08-29}}

{{Canelections}}
{{British Columbia politics}}
{{British Columbia provincial electoral districts 2017–present}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:British Columbia general elections, List of}}
[[Category:General elections in British Columbia| ]]
[[Category:Canadian election timelines|British Columbia general elections]]
[[Category:British Columbia politics-related lists|Elections, General]]