2025 CCSD By-election: become a candidate
Become a candidate for the 2025 Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD) By-election.
The by-election takes place on Jan. 31, 2025. The by-election is for two vacancies on the CCSD Board of Trustees representing:
- CCSD Ward 3 (City of Calgary Wards 4 and 7)
- CCSD Ward 6 (City of Calgary Wards 11 and 12)
Important dates
Nominations open: Oct. 24, 2024
Nominations close: Jan. 3, 2025 at noon
By-election Day: Jan. 31, 2025
Steps to become a candidate
Additional information for candidates - learn about acclamation, deposit refunds, public access to documents, and withdrawals.
Step 1 - Check eligibility
Who can be a candidate?
To be eligible as a candidate, you must:
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Be a Canadian citizen.
- Live within the boundaries of the school division for the 6 consecutive months immediately preceding Nomination Day (January 3, 2025).
- Meet the requirements in Section 74(3) of the Education Act.
More information about candidate eligibility is outlined in the Local Authorities Election Act and the Education Act.
You do not have to live in the CCSD ward you wish to represent.
Who cannot be a candidate?
You cannot be a candidate if you:
- Are an employee of the Office of the Ombudsman who has not taken a leave of absence before Nomination Day.
- Are an auditor of the CCSD.
- Are an employee of the CCSD who has not taken a leave of absence before Nomination Day.
- Have been convicted of an offence in the last 10 years under the Local Authorities Election Act, the Election Act, the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act or the Canada Elections Act (federal).
- Have been convicted of an offense that is punishable by imprisonment for five or more years.
- Have been convicted of an offense under Section 123, 124, or 125 of the Criminal Code of Canada.
- Are serving an ineligibility period due to your name appearing in a non-compliance report to Council or the school board.
- Accept or spend an anonymous or unauthorized contribution after submitting a notice of intent to be nominated.
Step 2 - Notice of intent to be nominated
Notice requirement
Individuals who intend to incur campaign expenses or receive campaign contributions in anticipation of being nominated as a candidate are required to file a notice with Elections Calgary.
Submit the notice in writing and include the following:
- The full name, address and contact information of the individual.
- The address of the place or places where records of the individual are maintained.
- The address of the place to which communications may be sent.
- The names and addresses of the financial institutions where campaign contributions will be deposited.
- The names of the individuals with signing authority for each campaign account.
Submit the notice of intent to be nominated
The notice of intent to be nominated can be submitted in one of the following ways:
Email: candidates@calgary.ca
Mail:
City of Calgary Attn: Elections Calgary Mailcode #207
P.O. Box 2100, Station ‘M’
Calgary, AB, T2P 2M5.
In-person:
Elections Calgary office
2nd floor, 2340 22 St. N.E.
Make an appointment with Elections Calgary by calling (403) 476-4110.
For address details, see Contact Elections Calgary.
If an individual does not intend to incur expenses or receive campaign contributions before submitting their nomination, a notice can be filed at the time of nomination.
Elections Calgary will confirm acceptance of all notices received.
Step 3 - File nomination
Nomination requirements
Form 4 Nomination Paper and Candidate’s Acceptance
Form 4 Nomination Paper and Candidate’s Acceptance
Form 4 Supplemental - Use as needed for ease of gathering signatures.
Obtain a minimum of 25 signatures.
- Signatures must be from eligible voters who live within the school district wards you wish to represent.
- Original hand-written signatures are required. Digital signatures are not accepted.
- We recommend you collect more than the minimum number of signatures in case any signatures have missing or illegible information.
Form 5 Candidate Financial Information
Candidate and Official Agent Contact Information Form
Deposit
Each candidate must pay a $100 deposit.
The deposit can be paid by:
- cash,
- certified cheque payable to "The City of Calgary,"
- money order payable to “The City of Calgary,"
- debit card, or
- credit card.
Personal cheques are not accepted. Do not send cash deposits in the mail.
File nomination
Deadline: You must file your nomination on or before Jan. 3, 2025 at noon.
There are two ways to file your nomination.
In-person: File in-person at the Elections Calgary office. To book your appointment, call Elections Calgary at 403-476-4110 or email candidates@calgary.ca. Another person may file the nomination on your behalf. You are responsible for ensuring the nomination is accurate and complete.
Mail or courier: Submit by mail or courier. Send completed forms and a deposit to Elections Calgary. For addesses, see Contact Elections Calgary.
Additional information
Acclamation
If a candidate is elected by acclamation, the Returning Officer declares the person to be elected following the close of nominations on Jan. 3, 2025.
Campaigning
Candidates, official agents and campaign workers should have access to each residence in a building containing two or more residences or to each residence in a mobile home park.
You are responsible for providing each campaign worker with Form 12 – Campaign worker proof of identification.
Deposit refunds
Your deposit is returned if you:
- Are elected to office.
- Withdraw your nomination.
- Receive at least half of the total number of votes cast for the elected candidate in your contest.
A cheque will be issued to those who qualify for a refund after By-election Day.
Public access to nomination documents
Members of the public may view nomination documents in-person and under supervision at the Elections Calgary office.
Mailing addresses of you and your official agent will be blacked out from documents before they are made available to the public.
If you have questions about the nomination process or public access, contact Elections Calgary.
Scrutineers
To be appointed as a scrutineer, an individual must:
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Not have been convicted of an election-related offense under the Local Authorities Election Act, Election Act (Alberta), Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act or the Canada Elections Act in the last 10 years.
Scrutineers are appointed by a candidate using the Scrutineer Appointment Form. The form is completed and signed by the candidate before the scrutineer visits the voting station.
A scrutineer keeps the signed form with them and shows it to the Presiding Deputy Returning Officer (PDRO) at each voting station they visit.
Withdrawal
The deadline to withdraw your nomination is noon, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025.
After this date, there is no formal withdrawal provision. Your name will appear on the ballot. You are responsible for informing voters that you no longer wish to run for office.
To withdraw your nomination, you must submit a written statement to the Returning Officer by email at candidates@calgary.ca.
You cannot withdraw if you are acclaimed.
Note: Information on this website is provided for reference only. It is not legal advice and should not be relied on as such. All political participants including candidates, local political parties, slates and third party advertisers are subject to further requirements. Political participants should refer to the Local Authorities Election Act and associated regulations and obtain legal advice regarding the full extent of their obligations.
