Recall
A. History
B. Overview
C. Frequently asked questions, forms and guides
D. Frequently asked questions for business owners
E. Recall petition proponent application package
F. Reports
A. History
The Chief Electoral Officer has approved 24 recall applications since 1995. Of the 24 petitions issued, six were returned to Elections BC, two proceeded to verification, and one continued through the full verification process. Twenty three of the 24 petitions failed as they did not collect enough valid signatures. One petition was halted during the verification process because the MLA in question resigned.
B. Overview
Recall is a process that allows registered voters to petition for the removal of a Member of the Legislative Assembly between elections.
Any registered voter can apply to have a petition issued for the recall of their MLA (the elected Member representing their electoral district in the Legislative Assembly). A registered voter who wants to start a recall petition must obtain an application form from the Chief Electoral Officer. The completed application form must be submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer with a non-refundable processing fee of $50 and include a statement of 200 words or less of why, in the opinion of the applicant, the Member should be recalled. A Member cannot be recalled during the first 18 months after their election.
If the application is complete and meets the requirements of the Recall and Initiative Act, a petition is issued to the applicant (called a “proponent”) within seven days. The proponent then has 60 days to collect signatures from more than 40% of the voters who were registered to vote in the Member’s electoral district in the last election, and who are currently registered as voters in B.C. The proponent may be helped by volunteers when canvassing for signatures.
When all the signed petition sheets are submitted, the Chief Electoral Officer has 42 days to verify that enough eligible individuals have signed the petition. If enough valid signatures are on the petition, and the financing rules have been met by the proponent, the Member ceases to hold office and a by-election must be called within 90 days. A recalled Member can run as a candidate in the by-election.
C. FAQs, forms and guides
General information, detailed guides and forms to the recall process are available, see links below.
Frequently Asked Recall Questions
Reporting or filing issues of concern should be emailed, faxed, mailed or phoned in to Elections BC. They should be well documented and factual.
Email: electionsbc@elections.bc.ca
Address:
Elections BC
PO Box 9275 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria BC V8W 9J6
Phone: 250-387-5305
Toll-free: 1-800-661-8683 / TTY 1-888-456-5448
Fax: 250-387-3578
Toll-free Fax: 1-866-466-0665
D. Frequently asked recall questions for business owners
E. Recall petition application package
It is recommended that anyone planning to apply for a recall petition carefully study the forms and guides listed below before making an application. The application package contains:
- Guide to the Recall Process (865)
- Application for Recall Petition (920)
- Number of words in proponent statement
- Recall – Application for Canvasser Guide and Application (921)
- Recall – Appointment of Financial Agent (961)
- Recall – Appointment of Assistant Financial Agent (960)
Individuals who apply for a recall petition are considered to be acting as their own financial agent until another individual is appointed.
The recall petition application package is also available at Elections BC’s Victoria office or call toll-free 1-800-661-8683 / TTY 1-888-456-5448 or email at electionsbc@elections.bc.ca.
F. Reports
