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Departments > Legislative & Regulatory Services > Legislative Services > About Local Elections > General Voting Information Local Elections BC general elections are held every three years for mayors, councillors, regional district electoral area directors, school board trustees and Islands Trust trustees. Candidates are voted in for a three-year term. Pursuant to the Local Government Act,, local general voting day is always the third Saturday in November. The next general voting day falls on November 19, 2011. Electors in Victoria vote to choose:
If you have questions, please call Legislative Services at 250-361-0571 or email Don Schaffer, Manager of Legislative Services, at dschaffer@victoria.ca. Candidate timelines Candidates will have 10 days to file nomination papers and declare their candidacy at the beginning of October, 2011. This period is prescribed by the Local Government Act and no nomination papers can be filed before the opening of the period or after the close of the period. Candidate Forums Community organizations and other groups organize candidate forums. The City will take information about these forums and provide an updated list throughout the relevant time frame. However, that list will be provided for convenience only; while every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information, community organizations staging the forums will be responsible for the accuracy of the information. Residency Requirements The Greater Victoria Area is made up of many municipalities so you may be unsure of whether you are a City of Victoria resident or resident of another municipality. Check your property tax receipt or phone Legislative Services at 250-361-0571 to confirm in which municipality you reside. Only City of Victoria residents and non-resident property owners are eligible to vote in the Victoria election. Electronic vote tabulators (ballot counters) will be used during the 2011 Election. Elector Information Pursuant to the City of Victoria election bylaw, all electors will be asked to prove their identity before they receive a ballot. All electors must present two of the identity documents noted below at the Voting Place when they cast their ballots. Resident Elector Qualifications In order to be eligible to vote as a resident elector on Voting Day you must satisfy all of the following criteria:
Voter Registration You must register to vote before you receive a ballot. The City of Victoria uses the Provincial Voters' List as the City's List of Electors for local general elections. If you are registered as a provincial voter, you should be on this list. Elector Registration If you are not registered to vote, you may get information on how to register by contacting Elections BC by telephone at 1-800-661-8683. You may register on-line here by following the registration instructions. If your name or address changes between now and September, 2011, you may register to vote at a voting place on an advance voting day or on general election day. Elector Identity Documents The following are valid identity documents for proving elector identity:
Non-Resident Property Elector Qualifications If you own property in Victoria but live elsewhere, you may be eligible to vote in the Victoria local general election as a non-resident property elector. In order to be eligible to vote as a non-resident property elector on Voting Day you must satisfy all of the following criteria:
If you are not on the City's List of Electors and qualify as a non-resident property elector you may register prior to voting. You may apply to register to vote by coming to Legislative Services, Victoria City Hall, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday (excluding holidays), or on local general election day. You must prove your identity (two pieces of personal identification, one of which must have your signature) and your eligibility to register (e.g. a property title deed or current City of Victoria property tax receipt; a letter of consent from joint owners, if applicable) when applying for a certificate. We suggest that you apply for a Certificate to Register prior to voting. New legislative requirements have eliminated the need for these certificates, but presentation of such a certificate will allow you to vote without having to produce other proof of ownership of the property in question on voting day. When applying for the certificate you will be asked to show:
For further information about registering to vote as a non-resident property election, please contact Legislative Services at 250-361-0571. Advance and Special Advance Voting Opportunities Advance Voting Opportunities: Advance Voting Opportunities are open to electors who expect to be absent from the City of Victoria on general voting day, who are unable to attend a Voting Place on general voting day, or who have a physical disability or a mobility impairment. At least two advance voting opportunities will be held. Special Advance Voting Opportunities: Special Advance Voting Opportunities are open to electors who are residents or staff members of health care or other facilities who would otherwise not be able to vote. These electors will be notified of such voting opportunities. Provincial Voters Guide The Provincial Government has produced a guide for voters that can be found at the following link:
Voting Places The City of Victoria has traditionally held voting opportunities at 12 places within the City’s jurisdiction. More information will be made available as local general election day grows nearer. Candidate Information The City of Victoria will print and post on-line a guide for candidates for the next provincial election in August, 2011. In that guide will be information about campaign documents and time frames, and forms required of candidates in order to be officially nominated and run in the election. Generally: Candidates must be Canadian citizens 18 years or older who have resided in BC for at least six months, and who are not disqualified from holding office by any enactment. Candidates need not be residents in the jurisdiction in which they wish to run. For more information, please see the following guide produced by the Provincial Government:
Campaign Organizers New legislation requires people or organizations seeking to affect the outcome of the municipal election by organizing a campaign to be known as "campaign organizers", and places the same requirements for financial reporting on those individuals or groups as it does on candidates or elector organizations. Campaign organizers who intend to campaign for or against a candidate or try to affect the outcome of elections based on specific issues, but who can not endorse candidates in the manner elector organizations can, must appoint a financial agent, must open an election-specific bank account and must account for both donations and expenditures in the same manner as elector organizations. The reporting requirement for this disclosure is set at $500 in donations or $500 in expenditures - after receiving $500 in donations or expending $500, the campaign organizer must advise the chief election officer. For more information, please see the following document produced by the Provincial Government:
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