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The Role and Mandate of Elections BC Elections BC's Vision, Mission, Mandate and Goals Elections BC's Organization Chart The Role and Mandate of Elections BC Elections BC is a non-partisan Office of the Legislature responsible for the administration of the Election Act, Recall and Initiative Act, and conduct of referenda under the Referendum Act. Elections BC administers the most comprehensive range of electoral legislation in Canada, with the Recall and Initiative Act being unique in the Commonwealth. Role of the Chief Electoral Officer The Chief Electoral Officer is responsible for the fair and impartial administration of Provincial elections and referendums, recalls and initiatives under the authority of the Election Act and Recall and Initiative Act. As a statutory Officer of the legislature, the Chief Electoral Officer reports directly to the Legislative Assembly through the Speaker. As an independent Officer, the Chief Electoral Officer can make orders, regulations and exercise responsibilities of the position in an impartial manner. The Chief Electoral Officer cannot be a member of a political party, make contributions to a party or candidate, or vote in any provincial elections. The term of office for the Chief Electoral Officer is from the date of appointment until 12 months after the date set for the return of the last writ for the second election for which the Chief Electoral Officer is responsible. The Chief Electoral Officer may be reappointed to further terms of office. Biography of Harry Neufeld, Chief Electoral Officer Event Administration Elections BC must maintain a constant state of readiness for by-elections, referenda, and recall and initiative campaigns. These events can occur at any time, often with overlapping time frames. During a provincial general election Elections BC grows from a base of 30 employees to 30,000 employees on General Voting Day for a general election. Under the Constitution Act, provincial general elections are now held on fixed dates. The next provincial general election will be held on May 12, 2009. The dates for the next four provincial general elections are:
Public Awareness and Education Elections BC staff provide information to the public on all aspects of our business. In non-election periods, an average of 2,000 letters, faxes and phone calls are received each month. In March 2001 Elections BC developed a Grade 5 education kit entitled "The Election Tool Kit" and in November 2003, Elections BC developed a Grade 11 education kit entitled "Democracy In Action: Understanding and Exercising Your Electoral Rights". The purpose of these education kits is to introduce youth to the basic principles of a provincial election. The main message to youth is that voting is important. Voter Registration Elections BC has maintained a continuous voters list for more than 70 years, and was the first jurisdiction in Canada with a computerized voters list. Voter registration and list maintenance are an important part of our day-to-day operations. Electoral Finance Elections BC is responsible for the registration of political parties, constituency associations, advertising sponsors and other participants in the electoral and initiative processes. British Columbia has the highest number of registered political parties of any electoral jurisdiction in Canada. Geographic Data Elections BC is responsible for boundary and address management, map production, an address register and the location index. With a provincial general election only occurring every four years, Elections BC staff are always asked "What do you do between elections?". Elections BC's business cycle extends from the issuance of writs for one general election to issuance of writs for the next general election. Between general elections, the work of Elections BC can be divided into three general categories; on-going activities, on-demand event administration, and calendared event preparation and administration. On-going Activities On-going activities are those programs and tasks that provide the infrastructure necessary to administer any event. These include voter education, voters list maintenance, address and electoral boundary maintenance and other event-readiness activities. Many events are externally driven with little or no preparation time available within the legislated time frames. It is therefore necessary for Elections BC to be ready to administer events at all times, and event-readiness activities are a critical aspect of on-going programs. On-demand Events On-demand events include recall petitions, by-elections, initiative petitions, referendums and other events that can not be predicted with certainty. On average, Elections BC administers at least one event each year between general elections. Due to the uncertainty of timing of these events, preparatory activities are undertaken on a continuous basis as part of Elections BC's on-going programs. Calendared Events Calendared events include general elections and initiative votes. The timing of these events is legislated, and preparation for and administration of these events can occur well in advance. Activities associated with preparation for calendared events are typically performed in the fiscal year preceding the event, and include training, development and printing of forms, guides and manuals, development of public information materials including advertising plans, packaging of materials in preparation for shipping and establishing contracts with suppliers of equipment and services. Continuous Activities • Public awareness programs and voter education
initiatives Elections BC's Vision, Mission, Mandate and Goals Vision Mission Mandate Goals Elections BC's Organization Chart |
