Candidates

Managed by Elections BC, the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act regulates how financial disclosures and other related actions are made. This legislation applies to candidates, elector organizations and those wishing to participate in the election process through advocacy. 

Each election area and office has its own limit, determined by the office and the election area's population. For the 2026 General Local Elections, the campaign limits for the Peace River Regional District are as follows:

• Electoral Area Director - $6,161.89

An election campaign is a series of activities aimed at getting a candidate or group of candidates elected to a local government position, such as a regional district board, city council or school trustee board. These activities can include advertising, going door-to-door to talk to voters, holding meetings and giving speeches.

As a candidate during a local election, you will likely run your own campaign. You can hire a campaign manager and recruit volunteers to help with tasks like handing out flyers, calling voters, managing event details and other campaign-related work. You have a lot of freedom in how to organize your campaign, as long as you follow the rules and avoid breaking any election or campaign finance laws.

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure Elections Signs and Posters Policy outlines conditions you should be aware of regarding the placement of election signage on highway rights-of-way. 

A registered elector organization, a group of voters, can officially support a candidate on the ballot by submitting all the required endorsement documents to the Chief Election Officer and Elections BC during the nomination period. Only elector organizations that are officially registered with Elections BC can file endorsement documents, accept campaign donations or spend money on election activities. To register, the organization must have at least fifty members who are eligible voters, either residents or non-resident property owners, at the time they submit their registration to Elections BC.

An elector organization cannot endorse more candidates than there are positions available in the election, and a candidate can only be endorsed by one elector organization. Candidates who are endorsed must agree to the endorsement by signing the endorsement documents, which the elector organization then submits to the Chief Election Officer and Elections BC.

The following additional information is included for potential candidates in the packages picked up
from the PRRD offices.

• Board Procedure Bylaw No. 2670, 2026
• Remuneration and Expense Bylaw No. 2354, 2019 (consolidated version)
• PRRD Five Year Financial Plan (2026-2030) Bylaw No. 2600, 2026
• Election and Assent Voting Bylaw No. 2485, 2022 (consolidated version)
• 2026 Board Meeting Schedule
• Board Appointments List
• Directors Code of Conduct

Members of the Board of Directors guide regional decision-making that considers the well-being and interests of the entire region and its residents. Visit the BC Government website for information and helpful resources on the roles of elected officials in the community. 

One of the responsibilities of elected officials is to attend official meetings. Elected officials may also be appointed to PRRD committees and external boards. 

To learn more about running for office, please review the Candidate’s Guide to Local Elections in BC and the Thinking about Running for Local Office resources prepared by the Government of BC. 

Scrutineers, also known as “candidate representatives”, represent candidates at general local election or by-election voting opportunities (for example, general voting day) by observing voting procedures and the ballot-counting process following the close of voting on general voting day.

Candidates may appoint a scrutineer for the 2026 General Local Election by completing form C6 in the Candidate Nomination Package and submitting it to the Chief Election Officer before the close of the nomination period at 4pm on September 11, 2026.

If you are interested in applying to be a scrutineer for the six assent (referendum votes) also happening during the 2026 General Local Election, you can download the Scrutineer Application Form and learn more about how to submit it by reading the Notice of Applications for Scrutineers.

A third-party sponsor is a person or group that runs election advertising on their own, independent from any candidate or political organization. They must operate independently and cannot work together with, or run ads for, a candidate or political group. If a third-party sponsor wants to run election ads during the pre-campaign or campaign periods, they must first register with Elections BC.

Campaign Financing Rules

Visit Elections BC for guides for local elections and how third-party sponsors work in BC. They have information about the campaign financing rules, offences and penalties that apply to third party sponsors.