2011 General Local Government Elections - November 19th
Official Election Results
Preliminary Election Results
Electors of City of Vernon:
In British Columbia, the General Local Government Elections are held every three years. The next General Election is Saturday, November 19th, 2011. Please review the When and Where to Vote link below. The Chief Elections Officer for the City of Vernon is Patti Bridal (550-3524) and Deputy Elections Officer is Sue Blakely (550-3526)
Vernon City Council consists of 1 Mayor and 6 Councillors (total of 7). Persons interested in being nominated to run in the 2011 General Local Elections can pick up a nomination package, at City Hall, commencing August 29th, 2011, from the Chief or Deputy Elections Officer. The Nomination package requires a $100.00 deposit, which is refunded upon a candidate filing their Campaign Financing documents. The Nomination Period in which the Chief Elections Officer can receive nomination papers is from 9:00 am Tuesday, October 4th until 4:00 pm Friday, October 14th, 2011.
Please check the Qualifications for Office link below.
The City of Vernon utilizes Electronic Voting Machines for tallying the votes at the close of the election. Qualifying residents of the City of Vernon will be provided with a special electronic ballot in which they will mark their choices and deposit into the Electronic Machine which will read and tally their responses. All ballots are kept in secure boxes and maintained until after the official results of the election are announced.
Feel free to review the links below regarding the Elections. They will be updated regularly as the election approaches.
Patti Bridal, Chief Elections Officer
Manager of Corporate Services
Documents 
Notice of Nomination
Public Notice is given to the electors of the Corporation of the City of Vernon that nominations for the offices of:
- Mayor – 1 vacancy
- Councillor – 6 vacancies
will be received by the Chief Election Officer or the Deputy Chief Election Officer, as follows:
The Corporation of the City of Vernon
3400 30 Street
Vernon, BC V1T 5E6
250-545-1361 |
NOMINATION PERIOD:
9:00 am Tuesday, October 4, 2011
to 4:00 pm Friday, October 14, 2011
(during regular office hours)
Excluding Statutory holidays and weekends |
Nomination documents are available at the City Hall office during regular office hours ( 8:30 am – 4:30 pm Monday to Friday, excluding holidays), commencing Monday, August 29, 2011. Please ensure you have arranged with the Chief or Deputy Election Officer to pick up your package. There is a $100.00 refundable deposit on the nomination package.
Qualifications for Office
A person is qualified to be nominated, elected, and to hold office as a member of local government if they meet the following criteria:
- Canadian citizen;
- 18 years of age or older;
- 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.
FURTHER INFORMATION may be obtained by contacting Patti Bridal, Chief Election Officer, at 550-3524, or Sue Blakely, Deputy Chief Election Officer, at 550-3526
Click here for a Copy of the Candidate’s Guide for the Local Elections in British Columbia, 2008 published by the Ministry of Community Services.
Qualifying to Vote
There are two categories of voters who qualify to vote in a local government elections in B.C.: Resident Electors and Non-Resident (Property) Electors.
A Resident Elector qualifies to vote by meeting all of the following criteria:
- You are a Canadian citizen;
- You are at least 18 years of age, as of November 15, 2008;
- You have lived in BC for at least 6 months prior to registering to vote;
- You have lived in Vernon for at least 30 days prior to registering to vote; and
- You are not disqualified from voting because you:
- Have been convicted of an indictable offence for which you are currently in custody; or
- Have been found guilty of an election offence.
|
|
A Non-Resident Property Elector qualifies to vote by meeting all of the following criteria:
- You are not a Resident Elector of Vernon;
- You are a Canadian citizen;
- You are at least 18 years of age, as of November 15, 2008;
- You have lived in BC for at least 6 months prior to registering to vote;
- You have owned property in Vernon for at least 30 days prior to registering to vote;
- You have been designated by the other owner(s) of the property as the Non-Resident (Property) Elector for that property;
- You are not disqualified from voting because you:
- Have been convicted of an indictable offence for which you are currently in custody; or
- Have been found guilty of an election offence
|
Voting Day Only Registration
Resident Elector
If you qualify to vote you DO NOT register PRIOR to election day. The City of Vernon conducts its elections using “Voting Day Only Registration” and therefore does not maintain a voters list.
In order to register on election day, Resident Electors MUST produce two pieces of identification to the election staff at the voting place. The identification (at least one must provide a signature) should prove both residency and identity.
Acceptable identification includes (two) of:
- BC Driver’s License
- Vernon Tax Notice
- ICBC Vehicle Insurance Documents
- Social Insurance Card
- BC Identification Card
- Credit Card
- BC CareCard or Gold CareCard
- Utility Bill
- Citizenship Card
Non-Resident Elector
A Non-Resident Property Elector will be required to produce acceptable identification, as well as proof of ownership of the property in question. If there are other owners of the property you must also have written consent from the majority of all of the owners stating that you are the one owner who is designated as the Non-Resident (Property) Elector for that property.
Property registered in company/corporation names do not qualify under the Local Government Act to vote in this municipal election.
When and Where to Vote
General Voting Day
Date: November 19 TH, 2011
Voting Hours: 8:00 am – 8:00 pm
Locations: Recreation Complex, 3310 – 37 Avenue (Auditorium), Vernon, B. C.
Ellison Elementary, 2400 Fulton (Gymnasium), Vernon, B. C.
Vernon Secondary, 2303 – 18 Street (Gymnasium), Vernon, B. C.
Advance Voting Opportunities
There are three (3) Advance voting opportunities. Dates and locations as follows:
Dates: Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Voting Hours: 8:00 am – 8:00 pm
Location: Schubert Centre
3505 30 Avenue, Vernon, B. C.
Dates: Wednesday, November 16, 2011 AND Thursday, November 17, 2011
Voting Hours: 8:00 am – 8:00 pm
Location: City Hall, Council Chambers
3400 30 Street, Vernon, B. C.
SPECIAL VOTING OPPORTUNITIES
Special voting opportunities will be open as follows:
| WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2011 |
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2011 |
| Vernon Restholm Association |
9:00am – 10:00am
2808 – 35th Street
Vernon, B. C. |
Vernon Jubilee Hospital
Polson Extended Care |
10:00am-11:00am
2102 – 32 St
Vernon, BC |
| |
|
|
|
| Noric House |
1:30pm – 2:30pm
1400 Mission
Vernon, B.C. |
Heron Grove Restholm |
1:30pm-2:30pm
4900 – 20 Street
Vernon, BC |
Working as Election Official
All positions for Elections Officials have now been filled.
Applicants selected to work the election will be contacted before the end of October, thank you for your interest.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
When is the next municipal election? Saturday, November 19th, 2011. Polls will be open from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm. Advertisements will be placed in the local newspaper.
-
Do I have to register ahead of time to vote in this election? No. Registration is done on Voting Day.
-
Do I need identification? Yes. You will need two pieces of identification that prove who you are and where you live. One of them must have your signature on it. See Resident Elector
-
Who is qualified to vote in this municipal election? Residents who live within the City of Vernon municipal boundaries for at least 30 days prior to November 19th. You do not have to be a property owner to vote.
See Qualifying to Vote
-
My address says ‘City of Vernon’, does that mean I can vote? Not necessarily. Many people who live in Areas “B” and “C” of the Regional District are addressed City of Vernon –however they live outside the boundary areas governed by the City of Vernon.
-
What if I live on a First Nation reserve such as IR 6? IR 6 is within the Regional District of the North Okanagan not the City of Vernon. Residents living on first nations land can vote in the Regional District Elections for Electoral Area Director “B”.
-
Can I vote if I am out of town in November? No. The City of Vernon does not have mail ballots. The Statutory Advance Voting opportunity is Wednesday, November 9th. The City of Vernon also hold two additional advance votes, on November 16th and 17th, 2011.
See When and Where to Vote
-
How do I know which voting place I am suppose to vote at? All qualified residents in the City of Vernon have the option of voting at any of the three locations. Registration to vote occurs on voting day. There is no voters list.
-
I own property in the City of Vernon, but live elsewhere. What documentation to I require to vote? Non-resident property owners must provide proof of ownership of the property and personal identification on voting day. If the property is owned by more than one person, all persons listed on the title must provide, in writing, authorization that the person voting is authorized to represent the other parties. There is no Corporate Vote. Property must be in personal names.
See Non-Resident Elector
-
What if I own more than one piece of property in the municipality? You may only vote once as a non-resident property elector regardless of how many properties you own.
-
My Mom/Dad finds it difficult to walk, how can she vote at the voting place? The Presiding Election Official can provide curbside voting. You would advise the Election Official at the voting place that your mother is in the vehicle outside and she would like to vote in the election. They will arrange to go outside to your mother and provide her curbside voting.
-
What are the rules for campaign signs? Campaign signs shall be permitted within all zones of the City and shall be exempt from the requirement to obtain a permit, provided however that all other provisions of the Sign Bylaw are met:
Political Signs provided that such signs:
i) are not installed before the end of the nomination period of the City of Vernon and Vernon School Board election which is at 4:00 pm October 14th, 2011;
ii) are removed within seven (7) days after the election.
(November 26, 2011); and
iii) are not placed on any dedicated road allowance or lands owned by any government.
Sign Regulations
NOTE: No election signs are permitted within 100 meters of a polling place.
-
Do I have to vote for all 6 Councillor positions on the ballot? No. The ballot contains all the candidates running for office. Electors have a choice of voting UP TO 6 candidates and are not required to vote for 6. In other words, if you only have 4 candidates you wish to vote for, you may do so.
-
Where do I get Nomination papers? Nomination papers will be available at City Hall from the Chief Elections Officer commencing Monday August 29th, 2011 until Friday, October 14th, during normal working hours. There is a $100.00 refundable deposit on the nomination package which will be returned to you upon registration of your campaign financing papers, after the election.
See Notice of Nomination
-
Do I have live in the City of Vernon to run for office? No. The Local Government Act does not limit candidates to residents of the communities.
See Qualifying to Vote
-
When will we know who is running for Mayor and Councillors? The nomination period closes October 14th. A notice of election will be placed in the local newspaper the following week, indicating who the candidates are.
-
What is an Elector Organization? An Elector Organization is an organization that encourages the election of a particular candidate. If the organization wants to have its name appear on the ballot with the candidate's name, it must have been in existence for 60 days and have had a membership of 50 electors of the local government for that period.
Elector organizations are bound by the same campaign fundraising and disclosure rules as candidates, and their campaign financing disclosure statements are available for inspection by the public at the local government office following the election.
-
What is a Campaign Organizer? A campaign organizer is a group or individual that encourages the election of a particular candidate or support for a particular elector organization through a series of campaign activities.
An individual, other than a candidate, who undertakes an election campaign is a campaign organizer only if he or she accepts financial support for the campaign activities from other people or groups. A group does not need to be incorporated under the Society Act to be a campaign organizer.
Campaign organizers are bound by the same campaign fundraising restrictions and disclosure rules as candidates, and their campaign financing disclosure statements are available for inspection by the public at the local government office following the election.
Click here for the Campaign and Elector Organizers Guide (PDF), available from the Ministry of Community Development.
|
