The Chief Electoral Officer
Appointment of the Chief Electoral Officer is made by the Lieutenant Governor on the recommendation of the Legislative Assembly. An all-party committee is responsible for making a unanimous recommendation to the Legislative Assembly on who should be appointed to this important position. The appointment of the Chief Electoral Officer is for a fixed term; two elections plus one year. A Special Committee to Appoint a Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) was formed by the Legislative Assembly on May 6, 2010 to select and unanimously recommend a new Chief Electoral Officer. Mr. Craig James has been appointed Acting Chief Electoral Officer until a CEO is appointed.
Chief Electoral Officers
The position of Chief Electoral Officer was created in 1947. Prior to that time, the responsibility for overseeing elections had been assigned to the Registrar of the Supreme Court from 1871-1899, then to the Deputy Provincial Secretary from 1899-1940. In 1940, the position of Registrar General of Voters was created to take over some of the Deputy Provincial Secretary’s duties. In 1950, the Chief Electoral Officer was also appointed Registrar General of Voters. The positions were subsequently held jointly until the position of Registrar General of Voters was abolished in 1995. In 1995, the Chief Electoral Officer became an independent Officer of the Legislature.
| Term | Chief Electoral Officer | |
|---|---|---|
| November 7, 2002 - June 5, 2010 | Harry Neufeld |  |
| May 2, 1990 - June 6, 2002 | Robert A. Patterson |  |
| April 15, 1980 - May 2, 1990 | Harry Morris Goldberg |  |
| June 1, 1968 - October 1, 1979 | Kenneth Loudon Morton |  |
| April 1, 1947 - June 1, 1968 | Frederick Harold Hurley |  |
