Elections BC > Local Elections > Elector Organizations

Elector Organizations

Elector organizations promote candidates in local elections. They are also called civic political parties. Anyone can form an elector organization, but only elector organizations registered with Elections BC can endorse candidates, receive campaign contributions and incur election expenses.

Elector organizations file endorsement documents with both their Local Chief Election Officer and Elections BC during an election. If approved, the elector organization’s ballot name as registered with Elections BC will appear on the ballot beside their endorsed candidate’s name.

The deadline to apply to register an elector organization for the 2022 General Local Elections has now passed. Further applications will not be processed until after General Voting Day, October 15, 2022.

List of elector organizations

Elections BC maintains a list of the elector organizations currently registered, suspended or deregistered in the province. The list is updated on an ongoing basis and is available at the link below.

Campaign financing rules

Elector organizations in local elections:

  • Must open a separate campaign account per jurisdiction and use it for all financial transactions.
  • Must have a campaign financing arrangement with each of their endorsed candidates.
  • Can only accept campaign contributions from someone who is a resident of B.C. and either a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
  • Must file annual financial reports with Elections BC detailing their finances, including campaign contributions received and all expenditures incurred.

More information about campaign financing and election advertising rules is available on our local elections Forms and Guides pages. If you have questions, contact us at electoral.finance@elections.bc.ca or 1-800-661-8683, or watch our Local Elections Elector Organization Information Session – June 8, 2022 video.

Elector organizations’ financial disclosure statements are published and publicly available through our Financial Reports and Political Contributions system.

Campaign contributions

Contribution limits are outlined on the Making a Campaign Contribution page. All campaign contributions for the 2022 General Local Election must be reported, regardless of when the contribution is received. This includes contributions received outside of the election year.

How to register an elector organization

Important Note: The deadline to apply to register an elector organization for the 2022 General Local Elections has passed. The deadline was August 2, 2022. Applications received after this date will be processed after General Voting Day (October 15, 2022).

To register an elector organization:

If you have questions, contact us at electoral.finance@elections.bc.ca or 1-800-661-8683.