Candidate Nomination

Nomination Process

Nomination papers cannot be filed at Elections NL’s headquarters.

In order to be officially nominated as a candidate, a person must submit a completed package of nomination papers to the Returning Officer of the district in which he or she intends to run, along with a $200 deposit. The deposit must be cash, certified cheque or money order. The certified cheque or money order must be issued to the "Office of the Chief Electoral Officer".

The nomination forms are available:

All completed nomination forms and deposits must be received by the district Returning Officer before 2:00 p.m. on Official Nomination Day. Nominations received after 2:00 p.m. on Official Nomination Day, or at Elections NL headquarters will not be accepted.

Qualifications

A person must meet the following requirements to become a candidate:

  • Canadian citizen
  • minimum 18 years of age on official Nomination Day
  • ordinarily resident in NL before official Nomination Day
  • not disqualified from election or sitting in the House of Assembly by the Elections Act, 1991  or any other Act
A person can become a candidate once the election writ is issued. Nomination submissions must be arranged with the Returning Officer for the electoral district in which the person intends to run.

Residency

A person does not have to reside in the same district in which he or she intends to seek nomination.

A candidate may vote in the district where he or she is running by taking the required oath or affirmation at a polling station.

Political Party Endorsements

If a person is running as a politically affiliated candidate, the leader of the registered political party is required to submit a list of candidates endorsed by the party to Elections NL before 2:00 p.m. on Official Nomination Day.

If a person is NOT running as a politically affiliated candidate or associated with any political party, the words "non-affiliated" will appear next to his or her name on the ballot.

The candidate may submit a written request using the appropriate form found in the candidate's nomination papers to the Returning Officer to have the words "non-affiliated" removed from the ballot.

Withdrawing as a Candidate

A candidate can withdraw no later than 48 hours prior to polling day. This must be done by filing a Form N-8 with the Returning Officer. The form must be signed by the candidate and verified by signatures of two qualified electors in the candidate's district.