The Election Act sets out the process for electing the Chief Councillor and elected Councillors on the Huu-ay-aht Council. Beginning in 2011, general elections are held on the third Saturday in June every four years. That makes this year an election year, and the vote is set to take place on June 20.
Executive Council appointed Kit Spence the Election Commissioner on April 9, 2015 – the first step in the election process. On May 4, 5 and 6, Spence will speak at a special round of community engagement sessions focused on the election process. These will take place in Anacla, Port Alberni and Vancouver, respectively. These sessions will be non-political event and will offer citizens an opportunity to get information from the elections commissioner prior to the election.
The nomination period runs from Monday, May 4 at 9 a.m. to noon on Thursday, May 14.
Any eligible voter can run for a seat on Council, including the Chief Councillor position, as long as they meet the criteria detailed in the Elections Act. A candidate can run for both Council and Chief Councillor, but if elected they can only hold one seat
All candidates must submit the nomination package to the Election Commissioner during the nomination period. In the package, the candidate must collect 10 nominees and include a certified copy of a current criminal record check, dated within 90 days of the election. Other information that must be submitted with the nomination package include one form with basic information on the nominee and a second one that contains a colour photograph and solemn declarations of a nominee. Huu-ay-aht citizens who are eligible to vote are encouraged to do so. In order to qualify, the citizen must be 18 years of age by June 20, 2015, and they must meet all the criteria set out in the Elections Act.
More details on the election are available in the Elections Act (www.huuayaht.org) under the “Our Government” section on the Huu-ay-aht website and under the Election 2015 tab (http://huuayaht.org/government/elections-2015/). Please review this section regularly for the most current 2015 Election information.