Election Act, Chapter 106 -- Part 1

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ELECTION ACT — Continued
[RSBC 1996] CHAPTER 106

Part 1 — Interpretation and Application

Definitions

1 In this Act:

"absentee voting" means voting referred to in section 73 (d) or (e);

"advance voting" means voting under section 97 at an advance voting opportunity for the electoral district for which an individual is a voter;

"advance voting opportunity" means a voting opportunity under section 76;

"alternative absentee voting" means voting under Division 5 of Part 6;

"auditor" means an auditor appointed under section 179;

"by-election" means an election other than one conducted as part of a general election;

"calling an election" means calling an election within the meaning of section 26 (3);

"campaign period" means, in relation to an election, the period between when the election is called and the close of general voting for the election;

"candidate" means an individual who is a candidate within the meaning of section 63, and for the purposes of Parts 10 and 11 includes an individual who becomes a candidate or who was a candidate;

"candidate representative" means the financial agent of a candidate, the official agent of a candidate or another candidate representative appointed under Division 3 of Part 5;

"chief electoral officer" means an individual appointed under section 4 as Chief Electoral Officer or under section 9 as acting chief electoral officer;

"close of general voting" means the end of voting hours set by or under this Act for a general voting opportunity;

"conduct" includes, in relation to election advertising, publish;

"constituency association" means an organization referred to in section 157 (1);

"contestant expense" means a contestant expense within the meaning of section 184;

"district electoral officer" means a district electoral officer appointed under section 18;

"district registrar of voters" means a district registrar of voters appointed under section 22;

"election" means an election of an individual to serve as a member of the Legislative Assembly;

"election advertising limit" means a limit under section 236 (2);

"election expense" means an election expense within the meaning of Division 2 of Part 10;

"election expenses limit" means the applicable limit established by Division 5 of Part 10;

"election official" means

(a) the chief electoral officer and the deputy chief electoral officer,

(b) an individual appointed as a district electoral officer or deputy district electoral officer under section 18,

(d) an individual appointed as an election official for the purposes of section 108;

"election official responsible" means, in relation to election proceedings, the election official assigned responsibility for those proceedings by or under this Act;

"election period" means, in relation to an election, the period between when the writ for the election is issued and the date set for the return of that writ;

"electoral district" means an electoral district referred to in section 18 of the Constitution Act;

"final count" means the count of votes conducted under Division 2 of Part 7;

"financial agent" means a financial agent within the meaning of section 175;

"fundraising function" includes a social function held for the purpose of raising funds for the organization or individual by whom or on whose behalf the function is held;

"general election" means, collectively, elections called on the same date for all electoral districts to elect all members of the Legislative Assembly;

"general voting" means voting under section 96 at the general voting opportunity for voters for a voting area;

"general voting day" means the day established by section 27;

"general voting opportunity" means a voting opportunity under section 75;

"incur" means,

(a) in relation to an election expense or contestant expense, using property or services in such a manner that the value of the property or services is an election expense or contestant expense, and

(b) in relation to an expense referred to in section 194, using property or services in such a manner that the value of the property or services would be an election expense if the property or services had been used by or on behalf of a candidate, registered constituency association or registered political party;

"independent" means, in relation to an individual, an individual who is not a representative of a political party, either as a member of the Legislative Assembly or as a candidate;

"inducement" includes money, gift, valuable consideration, refreshment, entertainment, office, placement, employment and any other benefit of any kind and, for certainty, does not include merely transporting an individual to or from a voting opportunity;

"initial count" means the count of votes conducted under Division 1 of Part 7;

"intimidate" means

(a) to use or threaten to use force, violence or restraint against an individual,

(b) to inflict injury, harm, damage or loss on an individual or property or to threaten to do any of these, or

"judicial recount" means a judicial recount of votes conducted under Division 3 of Part 7;

"leadership contestant" means an individual seeking the leadership of a registered political party, whether or not any other individual seeks that leadership, and for the purposes of Parts 10 and 11 includes an individual who becomes a leadership contestant or who was a leadership contestant;

"list of voters" means a list of voters prepared under Part 4 that is all or part of the Provincial List of Voters referred to in section 45;

"market value" means, in relation to property or services, the lowest price charged for an equivalent amount of equivalent property or services in the market area at the relevant time;

"money" includes cash, a negotiable instrument and a payment by means of a credit card;

"newspaper" means a publication or local periodical that

(a) contains items of news and advertising, and

(b) is distributed at least weekly in the electoral district or other area that is affected by the matter for which notice is required by this Act to be published in a newspaper;

"nomination contestant" means an individual seeking nomination as a candidate representing a registered political party in an election, whether or not any other individual seeks that nomination, and for the purposes of Parts 10 and 11 includes an individual who becomes a nomination contestant or who was a nomination contestant;

"nomination documents" means the documents required by section 54 (2) and (3);

"nomination period" means the period during which nominations for an election are accepted under section 56;

"official agent" means the official agent of a candidate appointed under section 69;

"opinion survey" does not include an opinion survey within a class prescribed by regulation;

"ordinary ballot" means a ballot referred to in section 86 (2);

"organization" means an incorporated or unincorporated organization;

"personal contestant expenses" means personal contestant expenses within the meaning of section 184 (4);

"personal election expenses" means personal election expenses within the meaning of section 183 (4);

"political contribution" means a political contribution within the meaning of Division 2 of Part 10;

"political party" means an organization referred to in section 155 (1);

"Provincial list of voters" means the list of registered voters prepared under section 45;

"registered" means,

(a) in relation to a voter, registered under Part 4,

(b) in relation to a political party or constituency association, registered under Part 9, and

(c) in relation to a sponsor of election advertising, an individual or organization registered as a sponsor under Division 3 of Part 11;

"resident" means resident within the meaning of section 32;

"residential address" means, in relation to voter registration and voting, an address that is sufficient within the meaning of section 35 (2);

"return of the writ" means the return of the writ for an election to the chief electoral officer in accordance with section 146;

"solemn declaration" means an oath or solemn affirmation in accordance with section 268;

"Speaker" means the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and an individual lawfully acting as Speaker or, if the office is vacant, the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly or any officer lawfully performing the duties of the Clerk;

"special voting opportunity" means a voting opportunity under section 77;

"spouse" means a person who

(a) is married to another person, or

(b) is living and cohabiting with another person in a marriage-like relationship, including a marriage-like relationship between persons of the same gender;

"tax receipt" means a receipt issued under section 20 of the Income Tax Act;

"volunteer" means, in relation to services, an individual providing the services as described in section 180 (5) (a) (i) to (iv);

"voter" means an individual who meets the qualifications referred to in section 31 to be registered as a voter under this Act;

"voter for an electoral district" means a voter who is qualified to be registered as a voter and to vote in an election for the electoral district;

"voter for a voting area" means a voter who is a voter for the electoral district for which the voting area is established and who is resident in that voting area;

"voter number" means the number assigned to a voter in a list of voters;

"voter registration official" means

(a) the chief electoral officer and the deputy chief electoral officer,

(b) a district registrar of voters or a deputy district registrar of voters appointed under section 22, and

"voting area" means an area of an electoral district established as a voting area under section 80;

"voting hours" means the hours established under this Act for voting at a voting opportunity;

"voting officer" means, in relation to voting proceedings, the voting officer appointed under section 19 who is assigned responsibility for those proceedings;

"voting opportunity" means a voting opportunity referred to in section 73 (a) to (d);

"voting place" means a voting place under section 75 for a general voting opportunity or under section 76 for an advance voting opportunity;

"voting station" means a location referred to in section 82 (1);

"writ" means, in relation to an election, an order of the chief electoral officer in the form of a writ under section 26 directing a district electoral officer to conduct an election for the electoral district;

"write-in ballot" means a ballot referred to in section 86 (5).

Time

2 (1) Times set by or under this Act are to be local times for the place at which the applicable proceedings under this Act are being conducted, unless otherwise expressly provided by this Act.

(2) If the time set by or under this Act for doing anything falls or ends on a holiday, the time is extended to the next day that is not a holiday.

Amendments do not apply for 6 months unless notice given

3 (1) Unless notice is given under subsection (2), an amendment to this Act does not apply to an election that is called within 6 months after the amendment comes into force.

(2) After consulting with the Election Advisory Committee, the chief electoral officer may have published in the Gazette a notice that the necessary preparations for the application of an amendment to this Act have been made and that the amendment applies to any election that is called after the publication.

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