Election rules garner praise

By Wolf Depner - Penticton Western News - March 16, 2008

New municipal election rules are getting a cautious thumbs-up from a top city official. While city administrator Leo den Boer said he is still familiarizing himself with the proposed rules, they have the potential to make a difference. “These changes would, I think, make elections more open and transparent,” he said. Legislation tabled last week would require campaign organizers, as well as candidates and elector organizations, to file disclosure statements within 120 days after a vote. Independent candidates, organizers and slates filing false or incomplete reports can be disqualified from taking part in the next election. Community Services Minister Ida Chong said the changes would prevent a repeat of the 2005 Coquitlam election, where a group called Coquitlam First raised more than $100,000 but didn’t have to disclose the donors because it wasn’t an official electoral organization. The changes also require the source of “in-kind” donations such as signs and labour be disclosed at fair market value.“We have not essentially changed the rules governing campaign contributions,” Chong said. “What we have done here in Bill 7 is ensure that there is disclosure where there had not been a disclosure before, because the requirements to disclose were not clear.” The legislation also gives municipalities the option of posting financial disclosures on their websites to make it easier for voters to examine them.

NDP local government critic Charlie Wyse said the government deserves “a pat on the back” for tightening disclosure rules, but it should have gone farther. Donations of less than $50 can still be made anonymously, and there is no overall limit on how much a candidate or slate can raise. The legislation also allows municipalities to increase the number of nominators a candidate has to have in order to run for a council or board of education seat. Currently it takes only two signatures of eligible voters, and Chong said the latest post-election survey of municipalities found that some want to set the bar higher to cut down on the number of people running just to raise their favourite issue. The result can be all-candidate forums with so many participants that meaningful debate of issues becomes almost impossible, she said. Communities with more than 5,000 people can require candidates to sign up as many as 25 nominators, or they can leave the rules the way they are.

“It appears to me the disclosure requirement hasn’t changed much, “ said den Boer. “However, the option for local governments to set the number of nominees does interest me in as much as this could limit the number of candidates.” Den Boer is also interested in provisions dealing with mail in ballots. “We often hear from the snowbirds who head south for the winter that they would like to participate in the elections but can’t under the old rules. In all, they appear to be  a progressive step forward.” The government intends to pass the legislation during the spring session so it will be in effect for municipal elections across the province this November.