General local elections administration

Unlike provincial elections, local elections are not managed by one organization. Each local government is responsible for running its own local elections, including voting, counting, reporting results, and accepting candidate nominations. Elections BC is responsible for administering the campaign financing and election advertising rules in the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act.

The B.C. government is responsible for the local elections legislative framework including the Local Government Act, Vancouver Charter and the Local Election Campaign Financing Act. It also provides education, capacity building, targeted oversight and problem-solving support for participants in local elections.

The process and rules for administering general local elections, also largely apply to by-elections to fill vacancies between general local elections, as well as to assent voting events (referendum).

• Learn more about general local election process and procedures

General local elections include elections for:

• Municipal mayors and councillors
• Regional district electoral area directors
• Boards of education school trustees
• Specified parks board commissioners
• Local community commissioners
• Islands Trust local trustees

Election administrators

Local government election officials

Each local government is responsible for running its own local elections, including voting, counting, reporting results, and accepting candidate nominations.

Local governments may also run school trustee elections on behalf of boards of education. Where a school trustee electoral area falls within the boundary of a single municipality, the municipality must administer the school trustee election.

• Learn more about school trustee elections
• Learn more about being a school trustee candidate

Each municipal council and regional district board appoints a Chief Election Officer to ensure general local elections and by-elections are run in accordance with the Local Government Act, Vancouver Charter (in the City of Vancouver), Local Elections Campaign Financing Act, Community Charter, School Act (if applicable), Offence Act and the local government’s election bylaw.

The Chief Election Officer may be a senior local government employee, such as a corporate officer, or a private contractor hired to conduct the election on the local government’s behalf. The Chief Election Officer is responsible for overseeing all local election administration activities, such as:

• Receiving candidate nomination documents
• Declaring the candidates running for office
• Setting up voting opportunities for qualified electors
• Preparing ballots
• Counting votes on general voting day
• Declaring the election results

The Chief Election Officer is also responsible for training any deputy chief election officers, presiding election officials and any additional election officials needed to conduct the general local election or by-election.

Elections BC

Elections BC administers campaign financing and election advertising rules for general local elections, by-elections, and assent voting events, and provides educational materials and guidance on the application of these rules under the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act.

Elections BC also registers elector organizations and third party sponsors, and maintains lists of disqualified candidates and third party sponsors who have failed to file required campaign financing disclosure statements or who have been convicted of providing false or misleading information on a financial disclosure statement.

• Learn more about Elections BC

Election offences

The Chief Election Officer may work with Elections BC to monitor compliance with campaign financing and election advertising rules.

Chief Election Officers do not investigate alleged election offences or administer penalties. However, they have the authority to enforce some election rules, such as challenging a candidate's nomination or a person’s eligibility to vote. Chief Election Officers are also responsible for maintaining order at voting places and prohibiting campaign activity within 100 metres of a voting place during voting proceedings.

Alleged election offences committed under the Local Government Act are investigated by local law enforcement and it is up to the police or the RCMP to make a recommendation to the Crown on whether to proceed with prosecution. Election offences are prosecuted through the courts.

For questions about municipal, regional district or Islands Trust trust area elections, please contact the Chief Election Officer for that specific jurisdiction. Local government mailing addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses and websites are available at CivicInfo BC.

• Learn more about election offences