This November 2014, a local general election was held for mayors, councillors, regional district electoral area directors and school board trustees.

See the 2014 Colwood Election Results

General Election Information

Pursuant to the Local Government Act, general voting day is to be held on Saturday, November 15, 2014, between the hours of 8:00 am and 8:00 pm at Colwood City Hall.

The Province of BC has passed legislation that will change the length of the term election officials will serve from three years to four.

Electors in Colwood vote to choose:

• 1 Mayor
• 6 Councillors
• 4 School Trustees (representing the SD62 'Belmont Area' which includes Colwood)

For school trustee election information, please contact School District 62 or Chief Election Officer Tom Moore at 250-472-0059.

View a list of Colwood candidates and Colwood Candidate profiles for the 2014 Municipal Election.

Residency Requirements

Only qualified City of Colwood residents and non-resident property owners are eligible to vote in the Colwood municipal election.

If you are uncertain about your municipality of residence, your property tax notice is a good document to refer to. If you are still uncertain, please contact the City of Colwood at 250-478-5999 and we will be happy to help you.

Counting the ballots

Electronic vote tabulators (ballot counters) will be used during the 2014 local general election.

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:

• 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 Colwood 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.

Voter Registration

You must register to vote before you receive a ballot. The City of Colwood will use the Provincial Voters’ List as the City’s List of Registered Electors for the 2014 City of Colwood local general election. If you are registered as an elector, you should already be on this list. To confirm that you are on the Provincial Voters' List in the City of Colwood, please contact Elections BC by phone at 1.800.661.8683. If you feel you might not be on the provincial voters’ list, or, if you wish to register to vote, you may do so online through Elections BC.

You can also register at Colwood City Hall until 4:30 pm on September 23, 2014.

If you were not on the Provincial Voters List before it was provided to the City, your name will not be on the City's list. Please contact Colwood City Hall at 250-478-5999 to confirm whether you are registered to vote in the 2014 local election.

Legislation requires that advance registration for the 2014 local general election must close at 4:30 pm on Tuesday, September 23, 2014. After that time, people wishing to vote in the 2014 local general election must wait until advance voting or general voting day to register.

Elector Identity

Two pieces of identification to verify your identity are required to register and may be required by election officials at the time of voting. 

Elector Identity Documents

Local Government Elections Regulation (BC Reg. 380/93) provides the classes of document that may be accepted as proof of identity. At lease one document presented to provide identity must include the applicant's signature.

The provincial election regulation following are valid identity documents for proving elector identity:

• a British Columbia Driver's Licence
• a BC Identification Card within the meaning of the Identification Card Regulation
• a photo BC services card within the meaning of the Identification Card Regulation
• a non-photo BC services card within the meaning of the Identification Card Regulation
• an Owner's Certificate of Insurance and Vehicle Licence issued by the Insurance Corporation of BC
• a British Columbia CareCard or British Columbia Gold CareCard
• a Ministry of Social Development and Economic Security Request for Continued Assistance Form SDES8
• a Social Insurance Card issued by Human Resources Development Canada
• a Citizenship Card issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada
• a real property tax notice issued under section 369 of the Local Government Act or section 21 of the Taxation (Rural Area) Act
• a credit card or debit card issued by a savings institution as defined in s.29 of the Interpretation Act
• a utility bill issued for the supply of electricity, natural gas, water, telephone services or coaxial cable services by:
  • a public utility as defined in section 1 of the Utilities Commission Act
  • a gas utility as defined in section 1 of the Gas Utility Act,
  • a water utility as defined in section 1 of the Water Act,
  • the British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority, or
  • a corporation licensed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission for the purposes of that supply.

Non-Resident Property Elector Qualifications

If you own property in Colwood but live elsewhere, you might be eligible to vote in the Colwood general election as a non-resident property elector. The owners must be individuals, not corporations.

In order to be eligible to vote as a non-resident property elector you must satisfy all of the following criteria:

• 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 Colwood 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
• the only persons who are registered owners of the real property, either as joint tenants or tenants in common, are individuals who are not holding the property in trust for a corporation or another trust; and
• if there is more than one registered owner of the property, only one of those individuals may, with the written consent of the majority of the owners, register as a non-resident property elector.

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 Colwood City Hall, between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm Monday to Friday (excluding holidays) up until 4:30 pm on September 23, 2014 when registration closes, or on Advance Voting Day (November 5 and 12), General Voting Day (Saturday, November 15, 2014) from 8 am to 8 pm.

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 Colwood property tax receipt; a letter of consent from joint owners, if applicable).

We suggest that you register prior to 4:30 pm on September 23, 2014 to be included on the List of Registered Electors. Registering as a non-resident property elector at the time of voting requires documentation proving your identity and proof of ownership of the property in question on voting day.

• Property Elector Application for Registration [PDF - 66 KB]
• Property Elector Consent Form [PDF - 37 KB]

Be sure to bring with you:

1. Two pieces of identification: one with residence address; one with signature of elector
2. Property title deed or property tax receipt for property located in Colwood
3. Consent Form - available at Legislative Services in City Hall
   - This is required only if the property is owned jointly with other individuals.

If a property is owned in whole or in part by a corporation, you are ineligible to register as a non-resident property elector with regard to that property. There is no corporate vote in BC.

For further information about registering to vote as a non-resident property elector, please contact the City of Colwood at 250-478-5999.

Advance Voting Opportunities

Advance Voting opportunities are open to all electors. Two advance voting opportunities will be held:

• Wednesday, November 5, 2014, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Wednesday, November 12, 2014, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Both advance voting opportunities will take place at Colwood City Hall, 3300 Wishart Road, Colwood, BC.

Important Dates

Legislative Changes to Campaign Financing

The Province of British Columbia has passed a new bill, the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act, which changes the manner in which financial disclosures and other related actions are made. This legislation applies to candidates, elector organizations and those wishing to take part in the election process by means of advocacy. The process is managed by Elections BC.

Provincial Voters Guide

The Provincial Government has produced a number of guides that voters and candidates might find helpful.