Register a local political party or slate: 2025 Calgary General Election

Eligibility

A local political party cannot be:

• an individual,
• a corporation,
• a prohibited organization as is defined in section 147.1(1)(f) of the Local Authorities Election Act, or
• a registered third party.

Required information

Complete an application for registration to Elections Calgary. The application must include:

• The full name of the local political party,
• Any abbreviation of the local political party to be shown in election documents,
• The local jurisdiction in which the local political party is registering,
• The name of the leader of the local political party, or if there is no leader, the names of the principal officers of the local political party,
• The name of the chief financial officer of the local political party,
• The address of the place or places where records of the local political party are maintained and of the place to which communications may be addressed,
• The name and address of the financial institution to be used by the local political party as the account into which contributions made to the local political party are deposited,
• The names and signing authorities for the account into which contributions made to the political party are deposited,
• A statement of the assets and liabilities of the local political party, as of a date not earlier than 90 days before the date of its application for registration, attested to by its chief financial officer,
• A copy of the names, addresses and signatures of 1,000 individuals, each of whom
  • Is eligible to vote in an election in the local jurisdiction, and
  • Is a member of the local political party and requests the registration of the local political party
• A copy of the list of:
  • Candidates who have either: (a) given notice in accordance with section 147.22 of the Local Authorities Elections Act or (b) who have been nominated to run for election,
  • Candidates whose nomination for endorsement has been accepted by the local political party, and
  • Candidates, who, if elected, would make up more than one-third of the council, including the Mayor, of The City of Calgary
• A statement by the leader or principal officer of the local political party that one of the local political party’s purposes is to participate in public affairs by endorsing one or more of its members as candidates and supporting their election.

Eligibility

To be qualified to register, a slate must provide the names, addresses and signatures of the candidate members of a slate, each of whom:

• has either: (a) given notice in accordance with section 147.22 of the Local Authorities Election Act or (b) who have been nominated to run for election, and
• declares support for the slate and requests the registration of the slate.

Required information

Complete an application for registration to Elections Calgary. The application must include:

• The full name of the slate,
• Any abbreviation of the name of the slate to be shown in election documents,
• The local jurisdiction in which the slate is registering,
• A copy of the list of candidate members who:
  • has either: (a) given notice in accordance with section 147.22 of the Local Authorities Election Act or (b) who have been nominated to run for election, and
  • declares support for the slate and requests the registration of the slate.
• The address of the place or places where records of the slate are maintained and the place to which communications may be addressed,
• A statement by the candidate members of the slate that the slate’s purpose is to support the election of the slate’s candidates.

Submit application to Elections Calgary

Send registration information to Elections Calgary.

There is no standard form for the registration of a local political party or slate. Allow 5 to 7 business days to process an application. Elections Calgary will contact each applicant to confirm its registration. 

Applications can be sent to Elections Calgary 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. Call 403-476-4110 to make an appointment.

The returning officer cannot register a local political party or slate if:

• The proposed name or abbreviation is too similar to, or suggests a connection with:
  • Another local political party or slate already registered
  • A registered provincial or federal political party
• The proposed name includes a candidate’s personal information, such as their job, title, honours, degrees, or any indication that they have held office before
• The proposed name or abbreviation is unacceptable to the returning officer for any other reason.

In addition to the requirements outlined in section 43 of the Local Authorities Election Act, each ballot must include:

• The name of the registered local political party that endorses the candidate,
• The name of the registered slate the candidate belongs to, or
• A blank space if the candidate is not endorsed by a registered political party or slate.
  • If a local political party or slate asks to have the abbreviated version of their name in their registration, the returning officer can use that shorter name on the ballot.
  • If the name of the registered local political party or slate is too long to fit on the ballot, the returning officer can change the ballot format to make sure all names fit and are the same size. Local political parties and slates must provide a final list of endorsed candidates to Elections Calgary by September 22, 2025 in order to be included on the ballot.

Registered local political parties and slates must notify Elections Calgary in writing (email is acceptable) of any changes to the required information within 30 days after the change.

Email: candidates@calgary.ca

The returning officer can cancel the registration of a local political party or slate upon written request of the registered group. 

Cancellation of a registration must be submitted in writing to Elections Calgary. Email is acceptable.

Email: candidates@calgary.ca