 Welcome to the third in a series of four presentations to help prospective candidates learn more about BC general local elections. This year's general local election may take place during a pandemic. It may be important for prospective candidates to contact their local government to understand any procedures they have in place to administer this year's general local election during COVID-19. This presentation provides an overview of the eligibility requirements and nomination process for individuals planning on running for an elected official position in the 2022 BC general local elections. Similar to voter eligibility, candidates for local elections must be 18 years of age or older on general voting day, be a Canadian citizen, have been a resident of BC for at least six months prior to filing nomination documents, not be disqualified under the local government act or any other enactment from being nominated for being elected to or holding office, or be otherwise disqualified by law and be nominated by eligible electors from the jurisdiction in which they want to run. The minimum number of nominators required for each candidate is two and the local government can require 10 or 25 nominators depending on its population size through its election procedure bylaw. It is recommended that prospective candidates have more than the minimum number of nominators required in case any are deemed ineligible. Prospective candidates are responsible for ensuring their nominators are qualified to nominate them for office. Your chief election officer and the election procedure bylaw are important resources for specifics on how many nominators are needed, if a nomination deposit is required, and when nomination packages will be available. Candidate nomination packages are generally available from local governments a few weeks before the nomination period, which starts on August 30, 2022. Nomination packages include a number of solemn declarations you are required to make. You can submit your nomination document in person and make the declarations in front of the chief election officer or their desegnet, or you can make a solemn declaration in front of a commissioner for taking affidavit. A statement of financial disclosure listing your assets and liabilities at the time of nomination must be completed and submitted as part of the nomination package. These forms are required under the Financial Disclosure Act. More information can be found online. Nomination packages must be completed and returned to the chief election officer or their desegnet during nomination period, which is between August 30 and September 9, 2022, at 4 p.m. local time. It is the potential candidate's responsibility to ensure the nomination documents are delivered to the local government before the deadline and filled out completely and correctly. This deadline is legislated under the Local Government Act and there are no exceptions. If you submitted the nomination package by fax or email, you must still submit their original hard copies by the end of office hours on September 16, 2022. Otherwise, you will be deemed to have withdrawn from being a candidate in the general local election. Financial agents, official agents, and scrutineers may be appointed in the nomination documents. See the candidate's guide to local elections in BC, the scrutineers guide, and the second presentation in this series for more information about participants in local elections. Candidates are declared by the chief election officer on September 9, 2022, after 4 p.m. local time. Once they are submitted, nomination documents are available for public inspection in local government offices during regular office hours until 30 days after the election results have been declared. Challenges to a nomination can be made by an elector, another prospective candidate, or the CEO, through the provincial court until September 13, 2022, at 4 p.m. local time. Candidates may reconsider and withdraw their candidacy during the nomination period and for 7 days after the post of nomination. If you want to withdraw after the deadline of September 16, 2022, Minister of Municipal Affairs approval is required and your name might not be able to be removed from the ballot. Being an elected official is a big responsibility. Elected officials will be entrusted with making decisions that directly affect the daily lives of residents, families, local business owners, and many others in the community. Check out the other videos, webinars, and brochures on the Ministry of Municipal Affairs web pages that highlight some of the things to think about before an individual commits to this responsibility.