VICTORIA – Community Services Minister Ida Chong has introduced Bill 7, a series of legislative improvements, providing local governments with more flexibility for advance voting and providing greater accountability and transparency during local government elections. "These changes will empower local governments in the year of general local elections,” said Chong. “The legislation strengthens rules around election campaign financing disclosure, making elections more open and transparent, and it creates more opportunities for residents and property owners to participate in the voting process.” The campaign disclosure rules will be expanded to ensure that individuals or groups must disclose funds they’ve raised to support specific candidates. The legislative amendments would require all groups that organize election campaigns to keep records of donations, and to disclose the contributors if their campaigns involve $500 or more, in the same way as candidates. Currently, the individuals and groups that are not candidates or formal civic parties are not required to report these financial details.
The Local Government Statutes Amendment Act, 2008 will also allow local governments to publicly post the names of contributors, and the amounts they contributed, on their websites in the same way as Elections BC or Elections Canada. Until now, this information has only been available upon individual request at local government offices. Changes to legislation will also allow local governments to offer greater voting opportunities to more residents and non-resident property owners through advance polling and by mail ballot.
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