Elections

Serving your community can be a rewarding experience. There are many good reasons to run for office—you might run to be actively involved in the local decision-making process, contribute your experience and knowledge to the community, address issues or lead change in your community.

Elected officials are entrusted with making decisions that directly affect the daily lives of residents, families, local business owners and many others in the local community. If you’re thinking of running for local office part of the decision-making process may include considering the role you will play, how best you can serve your community and the impact you will have as an elected official.  

• Learn about the role you will play and the impact you will have on your community as an elected official

Once you are elected the real work begins. Effective elected officials have a number of things in common – they:

• Are honest and act with integrity
• Accept responsibility for their actions
• Respect others and the institution of local government
• Have an ability to lead, listen, and positively influence others while working collaboratively

These videos give potential candidates information to help them with answers to questions that they may have before making the decision to run for local office.

Before making the decision to run for local office, it’s important to think about how you can best serve your community if you are elected.

• Learn about the role you will play and the impact you will have on your community as an elected official

These videos are intended to help potential candidates better understand what is involved in serving as an elected leader, including the skills needed to work with fellow elected officials, Indigenous partners, and the community at large. ​ 

 Candidate’s Guide to Local Elections in B.C. (PDF, 501KB)

Video links (below) or view them on the Ministry of Municipal Affairs Website.

Advice for People Running for Local Office

What is Responsible Conduct?

Working With Others

Reflect on Building Relationships with First Nations

Unproductive Conflict vs. Productive Conflict

Tools to Support Good Governance

Local governments are required to follow a legislated process when conducting general local elections and by-elections to fill vacancies on municipal councils and regional district boards between general local elections.

The major elements of the local elections process include:

• Determining a person’s eligibility to run for office
• Making the call for nominations and managing challenges to a candidate nomination
• Election campaigning
• Arranging voting opportunities for electors
• Counting ballots
• Announcing the election results
• Breaking ties
• Administering the Oath of Office
• Taking office
• Filing campaign financing disclosure statements

The legislation establishes many standard rules that apply to all local elections in B.C. At the same time, local governments are able to adopt election bylaws and make decisions about how to administer some aspects of local elections in a way that best suits local circumstances, including whether:

• advance voting opportunities will be offered,
• Voter registration will be conducted both on voting day and in advance or on voting day only
• Nomination deposits will be are not required
• How ties between two or more candidates will be broken

An election bylaw must be adopted by a local government at least 56 days before the first day of the nomination period in a general local election or 42 days before the first day of the nomination period in a by-election.

A person may become a candidate in a local election as long as they have not been disqualified from seeking or holding elected office. A candidate for municipal mayor and councillor, regional district electoral area director, school trustee for boards of education, trustee for the Islands Trust, local community commissioner or specified parks board commissioner must:

• Be 18 years of age or older on general voting day
• Be a Canadian citizen
• Have been a resident of B.C. for at least six months immediately prior to filing nomination documents
• Not be disqualified under the Local Government Act or any other enactment from voting in an election in B.C. or from being nominated for, being elected to or holding office, or be otherwise disqualified by law
• Learn more about responsible conduct and expectations of B.C.’s locally elected officials.

The nomination period is the only time during the election process when the Chief Election Officer can accept nomination documents and nomination deposits (where applicable) from people who want to run for elected office. A nominee officially becomes a candidate when they have submitted all the required information in the nomination package and have been declared a candidate by the Chief Election Officer.

Each candidate must be nominated by at least two eligible electors from the jurisdiction where the candidate is seeking to be elected. Some local governments may require in their election bylaw 10, or 25 nominators, for each prospective candidate.

A nominator must be eligible to vote in the election area as a resident elector or as a non-resident property elector in order to nominate a candidate for office.

• Learn more about nominating a candidate for local office

Nomination documents are generally available from local government offices during regular business hours two to four weeks before the nomination period begins and remain available until the nomination period ends. Nomination documents must be submitted to the Chief Election Officer or their designate.

Local governments may require prospective candidates to pay a refundable nomination deposit of up to $100 when they submit their nomination documents – the deposits are fully refunded when the candidate files their campaign financing disclosure statement with Elections BC.- The Village of Nakusp does not require a nomination deposit.

• Learn more about nomination documents and deposits

An eligible elector, another nominee for office or the Chief Election Officer can challenge a prospective candidate’s nomination if they believe the nomination documents are incorrect or the person is not otherwise eligible to be nominated for office.

Nomination documents are available for public inspection in local government offices during regular office hours from the time they have been submitted until 30 days after the election results have been declared.

• Learn more about challenging a nomination

An election campaign is a connected series of actions such as advertising, canvassing, holding meetings and giving speeches designed to elect a candidate or a group of candidates to elected office.

• Learn more about election campaigns and running for office       

General voting day is usually the most publicized or widely-known voting opportunity resident and non-resident property electors have to cast their ballot in a local election. Local governments must also hold at least one advance voting opportunity.

Many local governments offer additional advance voting opportunities. Local governments set out in their election bylaw if additional advance voting opportunities will be offered, or the specific dates, times and locations where special voting will take place during local elections.

• Learn more about voter eligibility and voting

Electors (voters) include resident electors and non-resident property electors. Resident electors are those people that may be eligible to vote in the local election based on where they reside. Non-resident property electors are those people that reside in one jurisdiction and own property in a different jurisdiction where they can also vote.

Ballot counting begins after voting places close at 8:00 pm local time. The majority of ballots cast by eligible electors determine the successful candidate for a given office. Candidates are entitled to be present during the ballot count and may assign one representative (scrutineer or official agent) to each location where ballot counting takes place. Each candidate is notified by the Chief Election Officer as to the time and location for the final ballot count.

• Learn more about being a scrutineer

The official election results may not necessarily be announced on general voting day—the Chief Election Officer may announce preliminary results after concluding the ballot count on general voting day and announce the official results at a later date.

The official election results must be declared within four days after the close of voting on general voting day. The Chief Election Officer must state the number of ballots cast in favour of each candidate for each position.

Most local governments post election results on their websites and election results are also posted at CivicInfoBC.

An eligible elector, candidate, candidate representative (for example, a scrutineer or official agent), or the Chief Election Officer, may apply to the Provincial Court for a judicial recount. An application for a judicial recount can only proceed on the basis that the:

• Ballots were incorrectly accepted or rejected
• Ballot account does not accurately record the number of valid votes for a candidate
• Final determination of results did not correctly calculate the total number of valid votes for a candidate
• Same number of votes were received by two or more candidates

The period to apply for a judicial recount begins as soon as the official election results have been declared and ends nine days after the close of general voting. The Provincial Court declares the election results at the completion of the ballot recount.

A tie between two or more candidates must be broken in accordance with the Local Government Act or Vancouver Charter (in the City of Vancouver) and the local government election bylaw. A tie may be broken by drawing by lot (a random draw) or by runoff election. A local government’s election bylaw must specify that drawing by lot will be used as the method for breaking a tie between candidates—otherwise, a runoff election must be held to break the tie.

A runoff election means that all unsuccessful candidates from the original election may run in a second election. The runoff election can only be held after a judicial recount in which no winner was declared. Generally, runoff elections are conducted under the same rules as the original local election.

A candidate, the Chief Election Officer, or at least four eligible electors of the jurisdiction may petition the Supreme Court to invalidate a local election. A petition to invalidate a local election may only be made on the basis that:

• An elected candidate was not qualified to hold office
• The election was not conducted in accordance with elections legislation or
• A candidate committed an election offence such as vote-buying or intimidation during the local election

A petition to invalidate a local election must be made within 30 days after the official election results were declared.

Every municipal councillor and electoral area director must make an oath of office or solemn affirmation before they can assume their position on municipal council or the regional district board, respectively.

Municipal councillors appointed to the regional district board must make a second oath or solemn affirmation in addition to the one they made before they assumed their position on the municipal council.

The oath of office or solemn affirmation may be made before a judge, justice of the peace, or a Commissioner for Taking Affidavits for B.C., such as a lawyer or the local government Corporate Officer. Candidates who fail to make an oath or affirmation of office within the required timeframe are disqualified from holding office until after the next general local election.

Municipal Councillor

A candidate may take the oath office or solemn affirmation as soon as they are declared elected by the Chief Election Officer; however, municipal councillors formally take office at the first regularly scheduled council meeting following the general local election. The term of office for a municipal council member appointed to a regional district board begins when the person has made an oath or solemn affirmation as a regional district director.

Rules regarding the conduct of general local elections and by-elections ensure that they are open and transparent. These rules are established in the Local Government Act, the Vancouver Charter (for the City of Vancouver), the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act, the Community Charter, the School Act and the Offence Act. The Local Government Act and Local Elections Campaign Financing Act also set out provisions related to election offences and penalties.

• Learn more about general local election offences and penalties

Campaign financing and advertising rules under the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act create accountability and transparency around campaign contributions received and election expenses incurred during general local elections, by-elections and assent voting events.

• Guide to Local Elections Campaign Financing in B.C. for Candidates (1MG, PDF)
• Guide to Local Elections Campaign Financing in B.C. for Elector Organizations and their Financial Agents (PDF, 936KB)
• Third Party Sponsor Guide to Local Elections in B.C. (640KB, PDF)

The Local Elections Campaign Financing Act sets out campaign financing and advertising offences and resulting penalties that may be imposed on candidates, elector organizations and third-party sponsors if they do not comply with the rules.

• Learn more about campaign offences and penalties
• Local Elections Campaign Financing Act – Division 2 [Offences]

• Candidate’s Guide to Local Elections in B.C. (PDF, 501KB)
• CivicInfo BC – Local Election Results
• Elector Organization Guide to Local Elections in B.C. (PDF, 266KB)
• General Local Elections 101 (PDF, 393KB)
• Scrutineer’s Guide to General Local Elections (PDF, 451KB)
• Supporting a Candidate for Local Elections in B.C. (PDF, 384KB)
• Thinking of Running for Local Office? (PDF, 397KB)
• Voter’s Guide to Local Elections in B.C:
• What Every Candidate Needs to Know (PDF)
• Elections BC
• Candidate Videos Updated Link

Local Election Legislation

• Local Government Act
• Local Election Campaign Financing Act
• Community Charter
• Offence Act

Contact – Chief Elections Officer Anna-Marie Hogg amhogg@nakusp.com 

Deputy Chief Elections Officer Linda McInnes lmcinnes@nakusp.com or 250-265-3689

Village of Nakusp Elections Bylaw

• Bylaw 709, 2022 Election and Assent Voting (PDF)