Municipal Elections 101

Local government municipal elections are held every four years and the next one will be held on October 20 from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Previously, these elections were held every 3 years.

Voters will elect one Mayor, eight Councillors and seven School Trustees in every municipal election. The majority of the ballots cast by voters determine which candidates are elected. In cases where there are as many as their are open councillor or trustee spots, candidates are declared via acclamation. Voters have up to 1 vote for Mayor, up to 8 votes for City Council and up to 7 votes for School Trustees. That is, voters don’t necessarily have to vote for 8 city councillors, for example. They can just vote for 2 or however many they wish.

Who Can Vote In The Municipal Elections?

You are eligible to vote in the upcoming municipal election if you meet the following:

1. are a Canadian citizen;
2. are, or will be, at least 18 years old on General Voting Day (Saturday, October 20, 2018);
3. have lived in Richmond for at least 30 days prior to registration (September 19, 2018 is the last day to meet local residency requirement if registering on General Voting Day)
4. have lived in BC for at least six months prior to registration (April 19, 2018 is the last day to meet residency requirement if registering on General Voting Day); and
5. are not disqualified from voting by law.

What Do You Need In Order To Vote?

You will need 2 of the following pieces of identification:

• BC Driver’s Licence
• BC Identification card issued by ICBC
• BC Services Card (includes both non-photo BC Services Card or photo BC Services Card)
• Owner’s Certificate of Insurance and Vehicle Licence issued by ICBC
• BC CareCard or BC Gold CareCard
• Ministry of Social Development and Economic Security Request for Continued Assistance Form SDES8 (“Monthly Form EA181”)
• Social Insurance Number card
• Canadian Citizenship Card
• Property tax notice
• Credit card or debit card
• Utility bill (including electricity, natural gas, water, telephone services, coaxial cable services)
• Birth Certificate
• Canadian Passport
• A Certificate of Indian Status
• Old Age Security Identification card
• Canadian Forces Photo ID

Important Dates – Richmond BC Municipal Elections 2018

Nominations Open: September 4 at 9 AM

Nominations Close: September 14 at 4 PM

Advance Voting:

Voting Day: October 20 from 8 AM to 8 PM