Voting In a Municipal Election You are entitled to be registered as an elector and vote in a local election if you meet the following qualifications...

Resident Electors

• age 18 or older; and
• a Canadian citizen; and
• a resident of British Columbia for at least 6 months immediately before the day of registration; and
• a resident of the City of Penticton for at least 30 days immediately before the day of registration; and
• not disqualified by any enactment from voting in an election or otherwise disqualified by law.

Non-Resident Property Electors

• age 18 or older; and
• a Canadian Citizen; and
• a resident of British Columbia for at least 6 months immediately before the day of registration; and
• a registered owner of real property in the City of Penticton for at least 30 days immediately before the day of registration; and
• not entitled to register as a resident elector; and
• not disqualified by any enactment from voting in an election or otherwise disqualified by law; and
• If there is more than one registered owner of the property, only one of those individuals may, with written consent of the majority of the owners, register as a non-resident property elector.

If you qualify as a non-resident property elector, you are required to obtain a "Non-Resident Property Elector Certificate" by applying:

• at the place of voting or general voting and during voting hours when voting proceedings are being conducted; or
• during regular office hours at City Hall, 171 Main Street, Penticton, BC

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Objection to Registration of an Elector

An objection to the registration of a person whose name appears on the list of registered electors may be made in accordance with the Local Government Act. An objection must be in writing and may only be made by a person entitled to be registered as an elector of the City of Penticton and can only be made on the basis that the person whose name appears on the list has died or is not qualified to be registered as an elector of the City of Penticton.

Civic Vote All Mayors, Councillors, and School Trustees are elected for a three-year term, and elections are held throughout the province every third year on the third Saturday in November. At the same time as local elections are held, referenda may be held on questions affecting municipalities and regional districts

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Qualifications for Office

Who May Run
A person is qualified to be nominated, elected and hold office as a member of local government if they meet the following criteria:

• Canadian citizen; and
• 18 years of age or older; and
• resident of British Columbia for at least 6 months immediately before the day nomination papers are filed; and
• not disqualified by the Local Government Act or any other enactment from voting in an election in British Columbia or from being nominated for, being elected to, or holding office.

Who May Not Run
You may not run for local government office if you:

• are a judge of the Provincial Court, Supreme Court or Court of Appeal;
• are an employee or salaried officer of the local government (unless you have taken a leave of absence to run for office and agree to resign if elected), including if you are running as a regional district electoral area director when employed by a municipality which is a member of that regional district;
• are under sentence for an indictable offence and are in custody or in prison; · have been found guilty of an elections offence, such as double voting or buying votes, and are prohibited from holding office; or
• are disqualified for not filing a disclosure statement in a previous election, or for not making an oath of office or attending meetings, or liability for use of money contrary to the Community Charter and Local Government Act.

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Role of Individuals Elected to City Council

Term of Office
If you are elected you are expected to serve a three-year term. This term will officially begin on the first Monday after the first day of December following the election.

Time Commitment
Holding a position in local office can be time consuming. Penticton City Council meets the first and third Monday of each month, all morning and evening. In addition, you may be asked to sit on special committees, boards or commissions that also require significant time. You will also be asked to attend various functions, parades, openings, etc. You might consider talking to someone currently in local office to find out how much time you will be expected to commit.

Remuneration
The mayor and councillors receive a small annual amount in recognition of the time and energy they have devoted to their communities.

Conflict of Interest
Conflict of interest voting rules in the Community Charter requires that, once in local office, you may not vote on or participate in discussions about any matters where you have a direct or indirect pecuniary (financial) interest.

If you do have such an interest, you must:

• declare your interest in the matter;
• withdraw from the meeting;
• not participate in the discussion or vote; and
• not attempt to influence, in any way, the voting of other elected officials on the matter.

If you participate in the discussion or vote, or attempt to influence the vote, you risk losing your elected office.

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Candidate's Guide The Candidate's Guide is designed to assist anyone interested in seeking election or re-election in the City of Penticton. It provides an overview of the electoral process in British Columbia and a summary of the steps you need to take to run as a candidate in the local election. Download 2008 Candidates Guide (zipped PDF file - 300KB)

School Trustees

If you are interested in running for school board trustee, please check sections 32 - 34 of the School Act for additional details:

School Act - School Trustees