Candidates in next October’s municipal election will notice a number of differences in the nomination and campaign process as a result of changes to the Municipal Elections Act.
Chatham-Kent officials say the nomination period has been reduced from 37 weeks prior to 13 weeks.
The first day nominations can be filed is May 1 (as opposed to January 1 as in previous elections) and the deadline to file nomination is July 27.
The previous deadline was in September.
Also new is the fact that candidates are required to obtain 25 endorsement signatures from eligible electors, municipal officials say.
Forms for endorsement signatures will be available on the municipal website before nominations begin.
Eligible electors must be Canadian citizens and are 18 years old, who either reside in or own land in the municipality and who are not prohibited from voting under law.
Fees for filing nomination are now $200 for the position of mayor and $100 for the position of Councillor or School Board Trustee.
Campaign contributions can not be raised or collected until such time as the nomination is filed with the Clerk’s Office.
The Chatham-Kent website will continued to be updated with Election information for both candidates and electors.
Any questions may be emailed to the Clerk at ckelection@chatham-kent.ca.
The municipal election will be held Monday, October 22, 2018.
