The Chief Electoral Officer
The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) is an independent Officer of the Legislature and the head of Elections BC. Being an independent Officer of the Legislature means the CEO and Elections BC staff are independent of government. The CEO does not report to Cabinet or the Premier but instead to the Legislative Assembly as a whole through the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.
Harry Neufeld is BC’s Chief Electoral Officer. The appointment of the CEO is made by an all-party committee of the legislature and is for a fixed term: two elections plus one year. Mr. Neufeld’s term expires in June, 2010.
The CEO is assisted by a Deputy Chief Electoral Officer (DCEO). Linda M. Johnson is the DCEO and an employee of the BC public service. The Chief Electoral Officer and Deputy Chief Electoral Officer are not permitted to vote in provincial elections.
Harry Neufeld took the Oath of Office as British Columbia’s Chief Electoral Officer on November 7, 2002. He brought 20 years of experience in electoral management to the position of Chief Electoral Officer.
Prior to his appointment Harry Neufeld held senior positions in three electoral-management bodies: Elections BC, the United Nations, and Elections Canada.
In addition, he has worked as an electoral management consultant with the Canadian Royal Commission on Electoral Reform and with various international organizations and electoral agencies around the globe.
Mr. Neufeld holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Lethbridge, and a Master of Arts (Political Science) from the University of Victoria. His MA thesis was on the topic of policy diffusion in the Canadian electoral process.
He has also written numerous articles on electoral management published by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, the International Foundation for Election Systems and the United Nations Electoral Assistance Division.
