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The quick read: Advance voting in Kelowna's municipal election is open today, Wednesday, October 14, with polls generally running 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., the City of Kelowna and Beach Radio report. Today's locations include Parkinson Recreation Centre, Black Box Theatre, and campus voting at Okanagan College and UBCO until 6 p.m.; Parkinson hosts advance voting again Thursday and Friday. General voting day is Saturday, October 17. Voters pick one mayor, up to eight councillors, and four school trustees, and can vote at any open location. Less than a third of eligible voters turned out last time. Twelve days ago this council locked in a $2.9 billion decade of spending, so turnout matters more than ever.

The polls are open.

Advance voting in Kelowna's municipal election runs today, Wednesday, October 14, with polls generally open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to the City of Kelowna and Beach Radio's reporting of the election schedule.

Today's voting locations are Parkinson Recreation Centre, Black Box Theatre on Water Street, and two campus stations: Okanagan College's S Building Lower Lounge and UBCO's University Centre Ballroom, which both close at 6 p.m.

Parkinson Recreation Centre also hosts advance voting Thursday, October 15 and Friday, October 16. General voting day is Saturday, October 17.

Kelowna votes at large: every voter chooses one mayor, up to eight councillors, and four school trustees. You can vote at any open location on a given day, and you don't need to pre-register — this is the first Kelowna election run off the provincial voters list, so you can register at the voting place, with two pieces of ID, one showing your signature and one showing your address.

The stakes are hard to overstate.

As this publication reported on Monday, the outgoing council just adopted a 2027–2036 capital plan forecasting about $2.9 billion in infrastructure spending, twelve days before the election. The next council has to fund it.

And here's the uncomfortable number: less than a third of eligible voters cast a ballot in the last municipal election, the City says.

When turnout collapses, the motivated few decide how billions get spent.

Municipal elections don't get the buzz of provincial campaigns, but city hall controls the decisions that hit your wallet every year: property taxes, water rates, policing, development, and the growth plan for a city heading toward 300,000 people.

Three candidates want the mayor's chair and 37 are running for eight council seats. You have until Saturday to make one of them earn your vote.

Show up.