Elections

Local Government elections are held every four years in British Columbia.

On October 15, 2022, a general local election will be held to elect one (1) Mayor and six (6) Councillors for the District of Kitimat.

ELECTION NOTICES

List of Registered Electors

Notice of Nomination

Part 1, Division 5 of the Kitimat Municipal Code sets out the election process for the District of Kitimat.

The election for School Trustee will also be held on October 15, 2022. For information regarding the election for Trustees for Coast Mountains Board of Education School District 82, visit their website at: cmsd.bc.ca.

Interested in working as an election worker at an advance voting opportunity or general voting day? Apply here now!

Election Officials

The District of Kitimat is seeking interest for Election Officials to work the 2022 General Local Election for the following voting opportunities:

Voting Opportunity	Date	Time
Advance Voting Opportunity	Wednesday, October 5, 2022	8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.*
Advance Voting Opportunity	Wednesday, October 12, 2022	8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.*
General Voting Day	Saturday, October 15, 2022	8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.*
Ballot Counting	Saturday, October 15, 2022	8:00 p.m. until complete
Special Voting Opportunity	TBD	TBD (4 hours)

* Voting locations are open from 8:00am to 8:00pm. However, election officials are required to be available prior to 8:00am to set up the voting location and after 8:00pm to take down the voting location.

The District of Kitimat will hold a mandatory training session for election officials and will provide the election officials with reference material and all necessary supplies. Ongoing support from the Chief and Deputy Chief Election Officers is available during voting days.

Election Officials should be prepared to attend a training session and be able to work for an extended period on general voting day. Election Officials are compensated by way of an hourly wage. Rates of pay for each position will be established prior to the selection of election officials. If you are interested in this opportunity, please complete, and submit an application detailing experience in local, provincial and/or federal election processes. Experience is not necessary. In lieu of experience, the following qualifications would be considered: good communication skills, attention to detail, and the ability to work as a team member.

Election Officials will be required to make a solemn declaration that they will faithfully and impartially fulfil their duties. Elections officials having personal connections to a candidate are to advise the Chief Election Officer.

Appointments are at the discretion of the Chief Election Officer and elections officials will be appointed to one of the three positions:

Election Officials (EO)

The Election Official (EO) assists the PEO and APEO.

An EO may be assigned tasks such as:

Assisting with the setup and takedown of the voting location
Assisting with the registration of voters; and
Providing direction to voters entering a voting location.

Alternate Presiding Election Official (APEO)

The Alternate Presiding Election Official (APEO) directly assists the PEO. In the PEO’s absence, the APEO assumes the duties and responsibilities of the PEO.

APEO’s may be assigned tasks such as:

Assisting with the setup of the voting location;
Registration of voters; and
Ensuring campaigning restrictions on voting day are observed.

Presiding Election Official (PEO)

The Presiding Election official (PEO) will work closely with the Chief Election Officer and/or Deputy Chief Election Officer to conduct the vote at their assigned voting location including:

Ensuring, as far as possible, that the applicable legislation and bylaws are complied with including, voter registration process, access to the voting place, or voting;
Ensuring that election offences, such as signs too close to the voting location, are dealt with according to applicable legislation and bylaws;
Supervising staff at the voting place, assigning tasks to other election officials and making appointments as required;
Ensuring all used and unused ballots and ballot boxes are secure at all times; and
Ensuring that the results of voting at the voting place are tallied properly and provided to the Chief Election Officer as instructed.

Application form can be found here and emailed to election@kitimat.ca

For further information regarding this opportunity, please contact Kiona Enders, Chief Election Officer at 250.632.8900

Key Dates

Electors - Voting Opportunities and Voting Locations

General Voting Day is Saturday, October 15, 2022 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Riverlodge Recreation Centre, 654 Columbia Avenue West
Mount Elizabeth Secondary School, 1491 Kingfisher Avenue

Advance Voting Opportunities will be held on Wednesday, October 5, 2022 and Wednesday, October 12, 2022 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Tamitik Jubilee Sports Complex, George Thom room, 400 City Centre

Candidates - Important Dates

January 1, 2022 - Start of Election Period

July 18, 2022 - Start of Pre-Campaign Period

July, 2022 - Nomination Documents available

August 25, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. - Candidate Information Session **NEW DATE**

August 30, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. - Start of Nomination Period

September 9, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. - End of Nomination Period

September 16, 2022 - Candidate Nomination Withdrawal Deadline

September 16, 2022 - End of Pre-Campaign Period

September 17, 2022 - Start of Campaign Period

October 5, 2022 - Advance Voting Opportunity

October 12, 2022 - Advance Voting Opportunity

October 15, 2022 - General Voting Day

November 7, 2022 - Inaugural Meeting of Council

Candidate Information Session

The District of Kitimat will be offering an information session for potential candidates.

The session will provide an overview of what may be involved as a member of Council in Kitimat with an opportunity to ask questions.

**SAVE THE DATE: THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 AT 7:00 P.M.**

Candidate Resources

Elections BC (Campaign Financing)

Elections BC is holding a virtual candidate information session on June 14, 2022 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Details can be found by vising the Elections BC website here.

Elections BC administers campaign financing and advertising rules for local elections and assent voting in British Columbia under the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act.

Candidates must be familiar with the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act and its requirements.

Visit the Elections BC website here.

If you have any question or concerns regarding the Financial Disclosure Act please contact:

Elections BC
Tel.: 250 387-5305
Toll-free: 1 855 952-0280
Email: electoral.finance@elections.bc.ca

Province of British Columbia

Thinking of Running for Local Office?

Running for local office is an amazing opportunity to support and impact your community, and a big decision to make. The Province of British Columbia has recently released a series of videos that provide some insight into 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:

You've Decided to Run for Local Office

These newly released videos provide an overview of the a general local election, who are the participants, the candidate nomination process and requirements, and voting and taking office. Links to the videos are noted below:

Guides and Resources

The Province of British Columbia has created a series of guides and resources for candidates, elector organizations, and voters. You can visit the General Local Elections page to access these resources here.

Local Elections Legislation

Other Resources

Candidate Nomination Packages

Candidate nomination packages for the 2022 General Local Election are now available. The link to the nomination package is below or available at the District of Kitimat Municipal Office during regular business hours.

Nomination documents will be accepted by the Chief Election Officer or Deputy Chief Election Officer during regular business hours at Kitimat Municipal Office starting at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday August 30, 2022 and until 4:00 p.m. Friday September 9, 2022.

Accepted nomination documents will be available for inspection at the District of Kitimat Municipal Office or on the website.

Candidate Nomination Package - complete

Candidate Nomination Information Package and Table of Contents

Voter Eligibility

The District of Kitimat uses the Provincial Voters List as the register of eligible voters. You can register or update your voter information by contacting Elections BC.

Not on the Provincial Voters List? You can register to vote at the time of voting by completing the Elections BC Application to Register as a Local Government Resident Elector (Form 200M). Forms will be available at the voting location but you will need to bring two pieces of identification proving identity and residency, one piece of identification must contain a signature. Picture identification is not required.

Resident Electors

An individual is considered to be a resident if, whenever absent, they intend to return to the municipality.

A resident elector is:

18 years of age or older at the time of voting, or will be 18 years of age on General Voting Day;
a Canadian citizen
a resident of British Columbia for 6 months immediately before the day of registration
a resident of the municipality; and
a person who is not disqualified under this or any other enactment from voting in an election or otherwise disqualified by law.

An individual can only vote as a resident elector in one municipality in an election.

Non-Resident Property Electors

A non-resident property elector is an elector who does not reside in the municipality but owns property in the municipality. Regardless of the number of properties owned in the municipality, an elector may only register with one property. If there are more than one individual listed as registered owners, only one owner may register to vote and must have the written consent of a majority of the owners. Proof of consent must be submitted prior to voting.

Forms for Non-Resident Property Electors will be available soon. Please check back!

Non-resident property electors are:

18 years of age or older at the time of voting, or will be 18 years of age on General Voting Day;
a Canadian citizen
a resident of British Columbia for 6 months immediately before the day of registration
a registered owner of real property in the municipality for at least 30 days immediately before registration;
not holding the property in trust for a corporation or another trust; and
a person who is not disqualified under this or any other enactment from voting in an election or otherwise disqualified by law.

Voter Identification

Classes of documents that may be accepted as evidence of identification are:

BC Driver's License
BC Identification Card
BC Care Card
BC Gold Care Card
Credit Card
Debit Card
Canadian Passport
Property Tax Notice
Certificate of Canadian Citizenship
Government Issued Military Identification Card
Firearms Possession and Acquisition License
Certificate of Indian Status
Current Utility Bill – Containing Elector's Name and Address
Owners Certificate of Insurance and Vehicle License (issued by ICBC)
Other documents sufficient to satisfy the Chief Election Officer

Note: Combination BC Services Card and BC Driver's License only counts as one document

Mail Ballot Voting

Mail ballot voting is permitted for the 2022 General Local Election.

More information regarding mail ballot voting, including application and registration forms will be available soon.

Previous Election Results

The results of previous elections are available through the Civic Info BC website.

For more information, please contact the Chief Election Officer, Kiona Enders, or the Deputy Chief Election Officer, Tracy Tavares, at (250) 632-8900 or via email at election@kitimat.ca.

Elections

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