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The bar to get your name on the ballot will remain low for Whistler’s upcoming October municipal election.
Following up on a motion last month from Councillor Ralph Forsyth to require more nomination signatures prior to getting one’s name on the ballot, Whistler council sided with a staff recommendation on May 24 to keep the minimum requirements to get on the ballot.
Under the rules set by the Local Government Act, candidates only need two signatures to get their names on the ballot.
Coun. Forsyth’s motion instructed Whistler staff to look at increasing the threshold for becoming a candidate. Staff then looked at how other municipalities run their nomination process and found most municipalities have only the minimum requirement of two nominators and no nomination downpayment.
Under the BC Election Act, the candidate can be required to get either 10 or 25 nominators and a maximum nomination deposit of $100 to run for office.
The staff report noted that the vast majority of municipalities in British Columbia do not require a nomination deposit and that Whistler does not have an issue with too many candidates running for office. In the most recent Whistler General Local Election in 2018, three out of the nine positions available for office were acclaimed (mayor and two school trustee positions).
The municipal election will be held on Oct. 15. If you are interested in running for office, the RMOW, in partnership with the Whistler Public Library, will be hosting a Candidate Information Session that will explain the process on June 28 at 6 p.m.
More information on the nomination process and becoming a candidate can be found here: whistler.ca/municipal-gov/elections/candidates.
