Elections

Information for Candidates

Nominations open on January 1, 2025, and end at 12:00 noon on September 22, 2025.

Thinking about running for Council?

Candidate Guide & Information Package:
Download the booklet here as a PDF.

Here’s Yellowhead County’s Candidate’s Guide & Information Booklet for the upcoming 2025 election. It gives an overview of what you need to register as a candidate and what a member of the Yellowhead County council can expect during their four-year term.

FORMS*:

Form 4 Candidate Nomination and Acceptance:

Form 4 Candidate Nomination and Acceptance

Form 5 Candidate Financial Information:

Form 5 Candidate Financial Information 2025

Release of Candidate Information Form:

Release of Candidate Information 2025

Notice of Intent Form:

Candidate Notice of Intent Form

*If the form does not display in your browser, download the PDF and open in a PDF Reader such as Adobe Acrobat.

Municipal Election Finance and Contribution Disclosure

All Candidates (Mayor and Councillor) are responsible for reviewing the relevant sections of the Local Authorities Election Act to ensure they comply with all requirements.

Part 5.1 – Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure of the Local Authorities Election Act outlines the requirements for contributions, limitations and acceptance of contributions, anonymous and unauthorized contributions, duties of candidates, fund-raising functions, expense limits, disclosure statements, campaign surplus, late filing, offences.

Candidates must disclose their campaign contributions, expenses, and the resulting surplus or deficit on FORM 26 – Campaign Disclosure Statement and Financial Statement by March 1, 2026.

Election Finances and Contribution Disclosure are regulated by the LAEA (Local Authorities Election Act Part 5.1).
The full provincial Local Authorities Election Act, including details regarding campaign contributions, are at kings-printer.alberta.ca/

  • Accepting Campaign Contributions

    During the campaign period:

    • Only candidates can receive contributions during the campaign period.
    • Corporations and unions, other than a prohibited organization, may donate to candidate campaigns; such donations may not exceed  $5,000 in total to all candidates in a municipality during the campaign period.
    • Candidates must not accept anonymous contributions.
    • Candidates can self-fund their campaigns. Those contributions can not exceed $10,000 during the campaign period.
    • Further details on allowable contributions are available at the LAEA (Local Authorities Election Act Part 5.1) at kings-printer.alberta.ca/

    Know your contributors
    Candidates must make every reasonable effort to advise prospective contributors of the financing regulations described in Part 5.1 of the Local Authorities Election Act.

  • Candidate Duties During Campaign

    During campaigning, candidates must follow Duties of the Candidate under Section 147.3 of the LAEA:

    These include, but are not limited to:

    • Opening a campaign account at a financial institution when contributions exceed $1,000.

    All candidates are subject to further requirements and are advised to refer to the Local Authorities Election Act for complete details on campaign finances and the full extent of their obligations.

  • Campaign Bank Accounts

    A contribution is something given to a candidate to support their campaign. This could be money, use of property or a service.

    Candidates must open specific bank accounts for their campaign finances as soon as possible once contributions exceed $1,000

    Campaign bank accounts must:

    • Be opened with a financial institution
    • Be in the name of the candidate or the candidate’s campaign
    • Contain all monetary contributions received by the candidate
    • Be used to pay for all expenses incurred by the candidate

    Account details must be reported to Yellowhead County Elections using Form 5 – Candidate Information. Please bring a completed Form 5 with you when submitting your nomination papers.
    All candidates are subject to further requirements and are advised to refer to the Local Authorities Election Act for complete details on campaign finances and the full extent of their obligations.

  • Candidate Duties After the Election

    Campaign Disclosure Statements

    The campaign disclosure statement is a record of expenses incurred and contributions received by a candidate during the campaign period. It must be filed by March 1, 2025.

    The campaign disclosure statement includes:

    • Total contributions
    • Source of contributions
    • Total expenses

    You Must Disclose:

    • The name and address of individuals who contribute more than $50.
    • The amount received outside of campaign period. Please remember that there is a $5000 limit in non-election years.
    • Itemized list of expenses.

    Refer to Part 5.1 of the Local Authorities Election Act for complete information on the candidate disclosure statement.

    A candidate must retain all campaign financing records for three years, following March 1, 2022.

    Surplus

    Candidates must act to address their surplus within 60 days of filing their campaign disclosure statement.

    Deficit
    Candidates must act to eliminate their deficit within 60 days of filing their campaign disclosure statement.

     

Additional Resources:

Alberta Municipalities: Running for Municipal Office

Alberta Municipal Affairs: www.alberta.ca/municipal-affairs

Candidate Expense Limits: Campaign Expense Limits Fact Sheet PDF

Elections Alberta: www.voterlink.ab.ca

Local Authorities Election Act: https://open.alberta.ca/publications/l21

Municipal Government Act: https://open.alberta.ca/publications/m26

Roles and Responsibilities of Municipal Officials:
www.alberta.ca/roles-and-responsibilities-of-municipal-officials.aspx

What every councillor needs to know! A council member handbook:

Pecuniary interest for Municipal Councillors:
https://open.alberta.ca/publications/pecuniary-conflict-of-interest-councillors

Voter Identification Requirements:
https://open.alberta.ca/publications/voter-identification-requirements

Changes to the Local Authorities Election Act (LAEA) 2024:
https://open.alberta.ca/publications/changes-to-laea-2024

For more information on the election, contact Returning Officer or call 1-800-665-6030 or 780-723-4800

Please Note: This information provides an overview, but is not a substitute for the detail contained in the legislation. All candidates are responsible for understanding the legislation and bylaws concerning elections.