With the approach of this year’s municipal general elections, electors who undertake to run as independent candidates in a municipality with a population of 5,000 or more can now apply for authorization from their municipality’s returning officer. Authorization will give these individuals more time to plan their election campaign and allow them to start incurring election expenses.
Purpose
Authorization is required to:
- Solicit or collect contributions;
- Incur expenses;
- Take out loans.
Normally, the clerk or the secretary-treasurer of a municipality serves as returning officer. You should therefore contact this person as soon as possible if you wish to obtain authorization.
Required Information
Among other requirements, a person applying for authorization must designate an official representative and update his or her information in the Register of authorized political entities of Québec. Persons applying for authorization may designate themselves as their own official representative.
Political Parties
Political parties also require authorization in municipalities with a population of 5,000 or more. A party may apply for authorization before the start of the election period. Doing so now will allow more time for meeting certain conditions and for processing the application.
To learn how to apply for authorization, visit our website.
