Provincial Third Party Advertising Sponsors

Elections BC is offering information sessions to help third party sponsors understand and comply with the Election Act‘s advertising rules for the 2024 Provincial Election. Learn more and register here.

---

Third party advertising sponsors campaign for or against a party or candidate, or for or against an issue associated with a party or candidate. Third parties must be separate from parties and candidates. They must also:

• register with Elections BC before sponsoring any advertising
• include their name and contact information on all advertising
• only accept sponsorship contributions from individuals who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents residing in B.C., and obtain written confirmation and consent prior to using the contribution for election advertising (see sample form)
• not exceed the expenses limits for third parties
• not accept sponsorship contributions from a single contributor in excess of the annual limit, and
• follow the reporting requirements for third parties.

See our Guide for Third Party Advertising Sponsors for detailed information about the rules third parties must follow. For expense limits for third parties, see the Expenses Limits page.

Pre-campaign period rules

Pre-campaign period advertising rules for the 2024 Provincial Election come into effect on July 23, 2024. The pre-campaign period ends on September 20, 2024 (the day before the election is officially called). During this period, any individual or organization conducting pre-campaign period election advertising must register with Elections BC and follow the advertising rules (see above).

Pre-campaign period election advertising is defined as the transmission to the public, by any means, of an advertising message that is sponsored by a third party sponsor and directly promotes or opposes a registered political party or the election of a candidate. Issue-based advertising is not regulated during the pre-campaign period.

Additionally, pre-campaign period election advertising includes the following activities if conducted on a commercial basis:

• canvassing voters, in person or by telephone or other means of electronic communication (such as texting/SMS, email or social media), to attempt to influence how voters vote
• mailing, or transmitting on the internet, material that contains advertising messages

Campaign period rules

Campaign period advertising rules for the 2024 Provincial Election come into effect on September 21, 2024. The campaign period ends when voting closes at 8 p.m. Pacific time on October 19, 2024 (Final Voting Day). During this period, any individual or organization conducting campaign period election advertising must register with Elections BC and follow the advertising rules (see above).

Campaign period election advertising is defined as the transmission to the public by any means, during the campaign period, of an advertising message that promotes or opposes, directly or indirectly, a registered political party or the election of a candidate, including an advertising message that takes a position on an issue with which a registered political party or candidate is associated.

Additionally, campaign period election advertising includes the following activities if conducted on a commercial basis:

• canvassing voters, in person or by telephone or other means of electronic communication (such as texting/SMS, email or social media), to attempt to influence how voters vote
• mailing, or transmitting on the internet, material that contains advertising messages

The definition of campaign period election advertising is broad and includes communications about issues associated with a candidate or party.

Exempted communications

The Act exempts certain communications from being regulated as election advertising. Examples of communications that are not election advertising include:

• news, an editorial, an interview, a column, a letter, a debate, a speech or a commentary published without charge in a bona fide periodical, on a radio or television program, or in a bona fide internet publication or program
• the distribution or promotion of a book for no less than its commercial value, if the book was planned to be made public regardless of whether there was to be an election
• documents sent by a person or a group directly to their members, employees, or shareholders
• the transmission by an individual of their personal political views, on a non-commercial basis on the internet, or by telephone or text messaging

Election advertising on social media

Social media posts are election advertising if they meet the definitions of pre-campaign period election advertising or campaign period election advertising. This includes:

• Paid posts (posts that are sponsored or promoted to reach a wider audience)
• Posts where money has been spent to create the post’s content, even if the post is not sponsored or promoted
• Posts from an account where money has been spent on a platform subscription or verification, even if the account’s posts are not sponsored or promoted
• Posts where an individual or organization has been paid to create or publish the post, even if the post itself is not sponsored or promoted