Local municipal vote seekers must register

With less than one year until Albertans elect local governments those considering a run for public office need to register, the city clerk is reminding residents.

New regulations requiring municipal candidates to register prior to fundraising, plus meet several new reporting requirements, came into effect after the 2013 election.

However, with the next election less than a year away, the issue is coming to the forefront, said city clerk Angela Cruickshank, who is also the chief returning officer.

She said the goal is for Alberta Municipal Affairs to better account for campaign surpluses — a change due to a private members bill passed years ago.

“Because (Municipal Affairs) is better tracking campaign surpluses at the back end, at the front end they need candidates to register so there is a start time and end time for campaign funding,” said Cruickshank.

Election day will be Oct. 16, 2017, following nomination day on Sept. 18.

However, registering must take place before any fundraising can take place. Those who fail to register, or file late or incomplete reports after the election could be subject to fines ranging from $500 to $5,000.

Since all Albertans elect their local representatives at the same time, the requirements are also in place for the Town of Redcliff, Cypress County and all jurisdictions in the province.

To this point, no one has registered in Medicine Hat, said Cruickshank, though the names will be posted on the clerk’s office section of the city’s webpage as candidates file.

Those who register do not have to specify which position, either council or mayor, they are seeking, and the measure does not apply to school board candidates.

Those seeking council positions, including mayor, in Medicine Hat, Redcliff and Cypress County, will need to register at the appropriate office as a candidate before any fundraising takes place.

That includes self-funded candidates, though Cruickshank said how rules will be applied in those cases will still be determined. Those accepting donations will need to open a dedicated bank account, and also issue receipts to all donors.

Previously, campaign surpluses were held by individual candidates either to be used in future campaigns, or if not, donated to a registered charity.

That is still the process, though funds will be held in trust by the local government until the candidate expresses their plans.

After the election, candidates have until March 1, 2018 to submit a detailed schedule of funding sources and names of donors who give more than $100.