Local Election Financing Rules 101

This fall, general local elections will be held across British Columbia to fill various local offices, including municipal mayors and councillors, regional district directors, school board trustees, park board commissioners, and other local government positions. General voting day is October 17, 2026.

Unlike provincial elections, local government elections are not managed by one organization. Each local government is responsible for running its own local election, including voting, counting, reporting results, and accepting candidate nominations. Behind those election campaigns are also important campaign financing and election advertising rules that all political participants must follow. In addition to enhancing accountability and transparency, these rules, which are administered by Elections BC, maintain a level playing field for everyone who participates in the electoral process.

To help stay in compliance with these rules, candidates, elector organizations (also known as local political parties), and individuals and organizations that want to spend money to promote or oppose the election of a candidate or elector organization often enlist the help of CPAs to manage their campaign finances. With the 2026 general local elections quickly approaching, now is a great time to remind all CPABC members of the legislated requirements.

The following article—a companion piece to my July/August 2024 article on the comparable provincial election rules¹—is designed to help everyone stay onside of the rules under the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act.

What CPAs should know before working on an election campaign

1. Know the role you will be performing.

Every local candidate and elector organization must appoint an individual to serve as their financial agent. The agent is responsible for managing the day-to-day finances of the election campaign, which includes ensuring that all transactions comply with the requirements of the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act and filing financial reports after the election. A candidate may choose to act as their own financial agent or they can appoint someone else to do this work on their behalf.

2. Election financing rules differ from other accounting principles.

While having a background in accounting is an advantage when co-ordinating the finances of an election campaign, CPAs should be aware that there are some rules unique to election financing that can be confusing and get financial agents into trouble. They include:

• Accepting campaign contributions from prohibited sources: Contributions can only be accepted from eligible individuals who reside in BC and are either Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Contributions from organizations and contributions from individuals living outside of BC are prohibited, including any contributions that result from a discount or a forgiven debt to an election campaign.
• Accepting campaign contributions over the limit: Eligible individuals are limited in how much they can contribute each year to an election campaign. For 2026, the annual campaign contribution limit is $1,429.70. Note that if a candidate is endorsed by an elector organization, this contribution limit extends to the entire elector organization and all affiliated candidates running in the same election campaign; this means that the maximum amount an eligible individual can contribute to all candidates endorsed by the same elector organization for the same campaign in 2026 is $1,429.70 in total (not per candidate). Excess campaign contributions must be returned to contributors; if they cannot be returned, they must be remitted to Elections BC as prohibited contributions.
• Not including sponsorship contact information on advertising: The Local Elections Campaign Financing Act requires that election advertising include contact information that clearly identifies how the sponsor can be reached. This information must include the name of the financial agent and the sponsor’s BC phone number, mailing address, or email address. These rules take effect on July 20, 2026 (the start of the pre-campaign period). Note: If you are participating in a 2026 election campaign organized by an individual or organization other than a candidate or elector organization, we encourage you to review the rules for local third-party advertising sponsors at elections.bc.ca/local-tps.
• Incurring election expenses over the limit: Election expenses include any property or services used to promote or oppose a candidate or elector organization. There is a limit on the total value of election expenses that can be used during the campaign period (September 19 to October 17, 2026). If property or services are donated, the value of the election expense and campaign contribution is the equivalent market value at the time it is provided.

Candidate election expense limits vary depending on the population of the election area and the office for which the candidate is running. The limits are published on the Elections BC website at elections.bc.ca/local-expense-limits.

Elector organizations do not have a separate election expense limit. Election expenses incurred by an elector organization are subject to the candidate’s limit and cannot exceed the amount the candidate has made available to the elector organization through their campaign financing arrangement.

3. Financial reports must be filed after the election.

The appointed financial agent must file a financial report within 90 days of the election. This report must disclose income and expenses in relation to the election campaign. Additionally, if any information in the financial report changes or the financial agent becomes aware that something has been reported incorrectly, the agent must file an amended supplemental report within 30 days of becoming aware of the change or error.

Copies of all financial reports filed with Elections BC are published online at elections.bc.ca/frpc.

4. Keep good records and avoid taking on more than you can manage.

There is nothing in the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act that prevents a CPA from representing more than one election campaign; however, the same requirements and deadlines apply regardless of whether you represent one campaign or 100.

Moreover, it’s important to ensure that you have the time and resources available to meet the responsibilities you’ve signed up for, which include keeping complete and organized financial records.

5. Failure to comply may result in significant penalties and their publication.

Penalties and their publication may be potentially damaging to a CPA’s professional reputation and other business relationships, so it’s important to ensure that you have a good understanding of the rules and requirements before agreeing to serve as the financial agent for an election campaign.

More information is available

Financial agents play an important role in the democratic process, and awareness is key to ensuring that these agents—many of them CPAs—stay in compliance with the rules. Therefore, if you’re thinking about getting involved in the upcoming 2026 general local elections, I encourage you to review the Elections BC website at elections.bc.ca/local-elections. There you’ll find information about campaign financing and advertising requirements, with informative guides, handbooks, quick reference sheets, and a comprehensive online learning program. You can also sign up for one of Elections BC’s upcoming information sessions.

Jodi Cooke, CPA, CGA, CFE, is the executive director of electoral finance at Elections BC.

This article was originally published in the July/August 2026 issue of CPABC in Focus.

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