2022 General Local Elections

General Voting Day for the 2022 General Local Election

When: Saturday, October 15, 2022 between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm.
Where: Trail Memorial Centre, Victoria View Room (former Library space).

Advance Voting* for the 2022 General Local Election

When: Wednesday, October 5, 2022 and Wednesday, October 12, 2022 between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm.
Where:  Trail Aquatic & Leisure Centre, Multi-Purpose Room.
*Anyone eligible to vote can vote at Advance Voting.

To be elected are: one (1) Mayor and six (6) Councillors for Trail City Council.
To view a list of the declared candidates for each office, which includes specific links to candidate information, visit CivicInfoBC and click on the link for the City of Trail.

All Candidates Forum

The Trail & District Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club of Trail will host an all candidates forum on Thursday, September 29 at 7 PM at the Trail Memorial Centre Gymnasium. Doors open at 6:30 PM.
They are asking for questions in advance  - please submit your question by email and indicate your question is for the Trail forum. 
They are also seeking volunteers - sign up here to volunteer.

Elector Registration 

A list of qualified electors entitled to vote at the election has been prepared on the basis of the Provincial List of Voters.  If you are not on the list of electors, you may register at the time of voting by completing the required application form available at the voting place.

To register you must meet the following qualifications:

• 18 years of age or older
• Canadian citizen
• resident of BC for at least 6 months immediately preceding voting day
• resident of Trail; or, a registered owner of real property in the City of Trail for at least 30 days immediately preceding voting day (see additional information below for non-resident property owners), and
• not otherwise disqualified from voting.

Resident electors will also be required to produce 2 pieces of identification (at least one with a signature). Picture identification is not necessary. The identification must prove both residency and identity.

Non-resident property electors must produce 2 pieces of identification (at least one with a signature) to prove identity, as well as proof that they are entitled to register in relation to the property, and if applicable, written consent from the majority of the other property owners.

Mail Ballot Voting

An Elector may also vote by mail - you can request a mail ballot package by submitting an application that includes the following information to Trail City Hall by mail  at 1394 Pine Avenue, Trail, BC V1R 4E6, by phone at 250-364-0841, by fax at 250-364-0830 or by email  before Thursday, October 13, 2022 at 4:00 pm:

1. Full name;
2. Residential address;
3. Address of the property in relation to which you are voting (for non-resident property electors only);
4. Method of delivery of your mail ballot package:
   • pick up at Trail City Hall; or
   • regular letter mail through Canada Post to residential address; or
   • regular letter mail through Canada Post to an alternate address provided when requesting the mail ballot package; and
5. If you are not on the list of electors, to ensure you receive the correct registration application form in your package, you must indicate whether you are going to be registering as a resident or non-resident property elector.

The City of Trail will send out mail ballot packages commencing on October 5, 2022 as per City of Trail Elections Procedure Bylaw No. 2780, 2014. To be counted, your mail ballot must be returned and received by the Chief Election Officer no later than 8:00 pm on October 15, 2022.

Non-Resident Property Elector

The property must be in the name(s) of individuals and not in the name of a company. If you own property in the City of Trail, but live somewhere else in British Columbia, you may be eligible to vote as a non-resident property elector if you: 

• Are a Canadian citizen; AND
• Are, or will be, 18 years of age or older (October 15, 2004) on or before general voting day; AND
• Have lived in BC for at least 6 months (as of April 14, 2022) prior to registration; AND 
• Have owned the property in the City of Trail for at least 30 days before you register to vote (as of September 14, 2022); AND
• You must not be eligible to register as a resident elector in the City of Trail; AND
• Are not disqualified from voting by the Local Government Act or any other act.

When registering, you will be required to provide two pieces of identification: one containing your name and address, the other with your name and signature. In addition to the identification, you will need satisfactory proof of ownership in the form of a tax notice, assessment notice or other legal documentation proving property ownership, such as a bill of sale issued prior to September 14, 2022.

Non-resident property electors can only vote once, regardless of the number of properties they own in the City of Trail.

If more than one person owns the property, only one owner may register, and that person must have the written consent of a majority of the other owners. 

Section 66(1)(f) of the Local Government Act states that the only persons who are registered owners, either as joint tenants or tenants in common, are individuals who are not holding the property in trust for a corporation or another trust. 

If you meet all requirements, you may register on the day you vote at either an advance voting opportunity or on general voting day. However, if more than one person is registered as an owner on the property's land title, a "Non-Resident Elector Consent Form" containing signed consent from the majority of the registered owners is required. 

• Non-Resident Elector Consent Form
  

The "Non-Resident Elector Consent Form" is written consent from the majority of the registered owners appointing one of the registered owners as the non-resident property elector for the property. 

I own a company or business located within the City; do I get a vote? 
NO - a corporation is not entitled to be registered as an elector or have a representative registered as an elector. There is no corporate vote in British Columbia.

This information has been prepared for the convenience of the public and to provide assistance in understanding the local government election process and does not cover every aspect. This is not intended to be complete and comprehensive nor is it a substitution for the legislation contained in Part 3 of the Local Government Act or any other Act. For detailed information on all aspects of an election please refer to the Local Government Act or Elections BC.

Questions?

Please contact the Chief Election Officer, Sandy Lucchini, at Trail City Hall at 250-364-0809 or by email.