Alberta Record

· Bill / Election & Democratic Rules · enacted

Bill 14 — Election Act Amendments: Changes to Nomination and Party Registration Rules

Amends election laws to increase candidate nomination signature requirements, restrict electors from signing multiple nomination papers, and introduce new criteria for political party name registration.

Moderate impactElection rulesCivil libertiesLegislatureThe public, directly

What changed

  • The number of electors required to nominate a candidate is increased from 25 to 100 (Election Act, s. 59(1)).
  • Electors are prohibited from signing more than one nomination paper for the same election, and inducing them to do so is also prohibited (Election Act, s. 59(1.02), (1.03)).
  • The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) must not count signatures from non-electors or those who signed multiple papers when verifying nominations (Election Act, s. 59.1(1)).
  • New criteria are established for the CEO to refuse political party registration if a proposed name resembles a predecessor party or uses specific 'distinctive words or phrases' (e.g., 'communist,' 'conservative,' 'liberal,' 'wildrose') (Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act, s. 7(3)).
  • Candidate endorsement authority is centralized to the leader of the registered party, replacing 'principal officers' (Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act, s. 9(2.1)).

Why it matters

  • Increases the barrier for individuals to run for office by quadrupling the required nomination signatures, potentially impacting independent or smaller party candidates.
  • Restricts political party naming conventions, which could limit freedom of association and expression for new or re-forming political entities.
  • Centralizes power within political parties by making the party leader the sole authority for attesting to candidate endorsements.

Other governance concerns

  • Increased barriers to political participation
  • Restrictions on political party formation and identity

Primary sources (1)