It’s been just under four years since the last BC Local Government Election.  How did it go in your community?  Was the four year term a good change?  Did you see any negative impacts with the change from three to four year terms?  Are you thinking of running in the upcoming election?  Plans are well underway for the October election.  I have compiled some of the important election dates that will be happening in this 2018 LG Election.  I hope this helps with some of your questions.

Monday, January 1

• Start of Election Period
• The election period begins at the start of the calendar year in which a general local election is held and ends at the close of voting on general voting day. There are a number of recording, reporting and disclosure requirements that apply to candidates, elector organizations and third party advertisers during the election period.

Monday, March 13

• Candidate B.C. Residency Deadline
• Last day to meet six month B.C. residency requirement for candidates within the nomination period (September 4 to September 14). A candidate must have been a resident of B.C. for at least six months immediately before being nominated. If you move to B.C. after this date, you will not be qualified as elector on the last day of the nomination period, and therefore you will not be qualified to run for office.
• Local Government Act section 81(1)©

Friday, March 16

• Candidate B.C. Residency Deadline (Extended)
• Last day to meet six month B.C. residency requirement for candidates submitting nomination documents under an extended deadline (September 18) due to insufficient candidates.
• Local Government Act section 81(1)©

Thursday, April 19

• Elector Residency Deadline
• Last day to meet six month B.C. residency requirement for electors registering on general voting day (October 20). You must have been a resident of B.C. for at least six months immediately before you register as an elector. If you move to B.C. after this date, you will not be qualified as an elector on general voting day, which is the last opportunity to register as an elector.
• If you move to B.C. shortly before this date, you may not be able to register or vote at an advance voting opportunity, depending on the precise dates of the move and the advance voting opportunity date.
• Local Government Act section 65(1)(c) & section 66(1)(d)

Monday, July 9

• Election Bylaw Adoption Deadline
• Last day for a local government to adopt its election bylaw if a new bylaw or amendments to its existing bylaw are required. A local government election bylaw is one that deals with any matter authorized under Part 3 of the Local Government Act, including use of the provincial voter’s list, use of voting machines, advance voting opportunities, and regulation of election signs.
• Changes or new provisions that are adopted by a municipal council or regional district board after this date do not apply to the 2018 general local election.
• Local Government Act section 56

• Sunday August 5
• Start of Period for Notice of Nominations
• First day for giving notice of the nomination period. At least two notices must be published between August 5 and August 28.

• Local Government Act section 85(1)

• Start of Period for Notice of List of Registered Electors
• First day for giving notice that:
• A copy of the list of registered electors is available for public inspection at the local government offices starting August 7 until the end of general voting (October 20)
• An elector may request that their personal information be omitted from or obscured on the list
• An objection to the registration of a person as an elector may be made between August 7 and 4:00 p.m. local time on October 20

Local Government Act section 77(6)

Tuesday, August 21

• End of Period for Notice of Close of Advance Elector Registration
• Last day for notice of the closed period for advance elector registration. Note: you can only register as an elector in advance if the local government uses a list of registered electors.

Local Government Act section 71(5)

Tuesday, August 28

• End of Period for Notice of Nominations
• Last day for giving second notice of the nomination period. At least two notices must be published between August 5 and August 28.

Local Government Act section 85(1)

• End of Period for Notice of List of Registered Electors
• Last day for giving notice that:
• A copy of the list of registered electors is available for public inspection at the local government offices until the end of general voting (October 20)
• An elector may request that their personal information be omitted from or obscured on the list
• An objection to the registration of a person as an elector may be made between August 5/August 7 and 4:00 p.m. local time on October 20

At least two notices must be published between August 5 and August 28. Note: The list of electors and the opportunity for you to object to the registration of an elector are only available if the local government uses a list of registered electors.

Local Government Act section 85(1) & section 77(6)

• End of Advance Elector Registration
• Advance elector registration closes. If you wish to register as an elector for the 2018 general local elections after this date, you must do so at the time of voting. Note: Some local governments do not provide advance registration – all electors in those jurisdictions register on the day of voting.

Local Government Act section 71(4)

• Last Day for Withdrawal of Non-resident Property Elector Consent
• Last day for withdrawing consent for non-resident property elector. If you are a registered owner who has consented to the registration of another registered owner of a property as a non-resident property elector in relation to the shared property, you may withdraw your consent by delivering a written withdrawal to the municipal or regional district office.

If the number of individuals who have given consent falls below a majority of the registered owners on or before this date, the person registered as the non-resident property elector in relation to the property, ceases to be entitled to be registered and vote in the 2018 general local election. If this occurs after August 28, the person registered ceases to be entitled to be registered and vote after the 2018 general local election.

Local Government Act section 66(8)

Tuesday, September 4

• Start of Nomination Period
• Nomination period begins at 9:00 a.m. local time. Nominations are effective upon delivery to the chief election officer or a person designated by the chief election officer. You may inspect nomination documents from the time of their delivery until November 23.

Local Government Act section 84(1)

• Start of Challenge to Nomination and Endorsement Period
• You may challenge a candidate’s nomination or their endorsement by an elector organization at any time between when the nomination documents were delivered and 4:00 p.m. local time on September 18.

Local Government Act section 91 & section 96

Friday, September 14

• End of Nomination Period
• Nomination period ends at 4:00 p.m. local time. Nomination documents may be delivered by hand, by mail or other delivery service or by facsimile or email transmission with originals to follow. If the original nomination documents delivered by facsimile transmission or email are not received by the local chief election officer by the end of office hours on September 21, the person nominated is deemed to have withdrawn from being a candidate in the election.

Local Government Act section 84(1) & section 89(5)

• Declaration of Candidates
• Following the end of nomination period all nominees are declared candidates. If there are fewer candidates than positions to be elected, the nomination period is extended to September 17 at 4:00 p.m. local time, at which time all subsequent nominees are also declared candidates. Notice of the extension of nominations must be published if reasonably possible.

Local Government Act s. 97(1) & section 97(2)

Monday, September 17

• End of Extended Nomination Period
• Extended nomination period ends at 4:00pm local time if the nomination period was extended due to insufficient candidates.

Local Government Act section 97(2)

Tuesday, September 18

• End of Challenge to Nomination and Endorsement Period
• The period for you to challenge a candidate’s nomination or their endorsement by an elector organization through the courts ends at 4:00 p.m. local time.

Local Government Act section 91 & section 96

Thursday, September 20

• Start of Period for Notice of Election
• First day to publish notice of election. At least two notices must be published in the period between September 20 and October 13 for the general voting opportunity on October 20.

Local Government Act section 99(1)

Friday, September 21

• Finalization of Candidates
• Deadline is 4:00 p.m. local time for:
• Court decision on challenge of nomination. If a nomination is challenged, the court can:
• Confirm the person as a candidate or declare that the person is no longer a candidate;
• Declare that the person is or is not entitled to have the usual name indicated in the nomination documents used on the ballot;
• Declare that the election organization named in the nomination documents is or is not entitled to have its endorsement included on the ballot.
• Withdrawal of candidates. A candidate cannot withdraw after 4:00 p.m. local time on this date unless it is approved by the Minister responsible for the Local Government Act.
• Withdrawal of elector organization endorsement. An elector organization can withdraw its endorsement or a candidate can withdraw the request to have an elector organization endorsement appear on the ballot by delivering signed documents to the local chief election officer.
• Deadline for receiving originals of faxed or emailed nomination documents at end of office hours.
• Local Government Act section 91(9), section 95, section 101(1), section 96(8) and section 89(5)
• End of Election Period
• Election period ends at 12:00 Midnight.

Local Elections Campaign Financing Act section 10(1)

Saturday September 22

• Start of Campaign Period
• Campaign period begins at 12:01 AM. Expense limits apply to candidates, elector organizations and third party advertisers during the campaign period.

Local Elections Campaign Financing Act section 10(2)

Monday, September 24

• Declaration of Election by Voting or Acclamation
• Declaration of election by voting or acclamation, as applicable, at 4:00 p.m. local time. If there are more candidates for an office than there are to be elected for the office, the local chief election officer must declare that an election by voting is to be held. If there are fewer candidates, the local chief election officer must declare the candidate or candidates elected by acclamation.

Local Government Act section 98(2) & section 98(3)

Wednesday, October 10

• Required Advance Voting Opportunity
• Required advance voting opportunity from 8:00 a.m. local time to 8:00 p.m. local time in all jurisdictions. You may vote at an advance voting opportunity even if you will be present in the jurisdiction on general voting day (October 20).

Local Government Act section 107(1)

Saturday, October 13

• End of Period for Notice of Election
• Last day to publish notice of election. At least two notices must be published between September 20 and October 13 for the general voting opportunity on October 20.

Local Government Act section 99(1)

Saturday, October 20

• General Voting Day
• General voting day from 8:00 a.m. local time to 8:00 p.m. local time in all jurisdictions.

Local Government Act section 52

• Mail Ballot Voting
• Mail ballots must be received by the local chief election officer by 8:00 p.m. to be counted. Late mail ballots are not considered, regardless of postmark or other proof of effort to deliver by this date.

Local Government Act section 110(9)

• Announcement of Preliminary Results
• The local chief election officer may announce the preliminary election results prior to the declaration of the official election results.

Local Government Act section 144(1)

• End of Period for Inspection of List of Electors
• Public inspection of list of electors ends at 8:00 p.m. local time. The list of electors is only available if the local government uses a list of registered electors to record advance elector registrations. Public inspection of the list of registered electors does not include entitlement to a copy of the list.

Local Government Act section 77(3)

• End of Campaign Period
• The campaign period in relation to an election ends at the close of voting on general voting day.

Local Elections Campaign Financing Act section 10(2)

Monday, October 22

• Determination of Official Voting Results
• Official voting results must be determined before declaration of official election results on October 24.

Local Government Act section 145

• Start of Advance Registration for Next Election
• Advance elector registration re-opens for a local government that chooses to use a list of registered electors.

Local Government Act section 71(4)

Wednesday, October 24

• Last Day for Declaration of Official Election Results by Voting
• Deadline to declare official election results is 4:00 p.m. local time. The local chief election officer may make the declaration of official election results at any time in the period between the close of general voting (October 20) and this time and date.

Local Government Act section 146(1)

• Last day for Declaration of Official Election Results by Acclamation
• Last day to report official results of an election by acclamation. The local chief election officer must submit a report of the election results to the local government within 30 days after the declaration of official election results by acclamation.

Local Government Act section 158(1)

• Start of Period to Apply for Judicial Recount
• First day you may make an application for judicial recount to the Provincial court, if official election results declared on the last possible day. The time period during which an application may be made is limited to the time between the declaration of official election results and October 29.

Local Government Act section 148(3)

Monday, October 29

• End of Period to Apply for Judicial Recount
• Last day for applications for judicial recount to the Provincial court. The time period during which you can make an application is limited to the time between the declaration of official election results and nine days after the close of general voting.

Local Government Act section 148(3)

Tuesday, October 30

• Start Period to Make Oath of Office
• First day a candidate elected by voting may make oath of office. If an application for a judicial recount of an election is made to the Provincial court, a candidate declared elected in the election is not entitled to make the oath of office until the recount has been completed and the candidate’s election has been confirmed, unless permitted by the Provincial court. The court may authorize a candidate who has been declared elected to make the oath of office if the court is satisfied that the candidate’s election will not be affected by the results of the judicial recount.

Local Government Act section 147(1

Friday, January 18

• End of Period to File Disclosure Statement with Elections BC
• Deadline to file campaign financing disclosure statements by candidates, elector organizations and third party sponsors. A disclosure statement is required to be filed with Elections BC even if the candidate received no campaign contributions, incurred no election expenses, was acclaimed, died, withdrew from the election, or was declared by a court to no longer be a candidate.

Local Elections Campaign Financing Act section 47(1), section 56 & section 90

Monday, January 21

• Start of Period for Late Filing of Disclosure Statement with Elections BC
• All outstanding disclosure statements (candidate, elector organization, third party sponsor) are subject to a $500 late filing fee if they are filed starting on this date. Late filing is allowed until February 18 if accompanied by the late filing fee.

Local Elections Campaign Financing Act section 47(2) & section 56