From time to time, the municipality will use election and legislative terminology that isn’t always self-explanatory. Below, you can find a collection of common election terms and their definition.
Acclaimed: To be acclaimed in an election means winning without any opposition or competition, leading to an automatic victory for the candidate.
Contribution period: The specific timeframe during which candidates and their campaigns can accept financial contributions.
Electoral district boundary: Boundaries that divide the municipality into 16 different electoral districts; the district that you reside in dictates both where you can vote during elections and which candidate for Councillor you can vote for.
Lien: A claim that someone registers against the property of a resident (e.g. for outstanding property tax bills); residents with a lien against their property are not eligible to run for Regional Council.
Official agent: An individual appointed by candidates for Regional Council (and the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial) to act on their behalf and manage certain aspects of their campaign. Candidates can serve as their own official agent.
Polls/polling location: Physical locations where residents can cast their vote, otherwise known as a "voting location".
Returning Officer: An individual appointed to oversee and manage the administration of municipal elections. The municipality’s Returning Officer is typically the Municipal Clerk.
Scrutineer: An individual appointed by a candidate to observe and oversee the voting process at polling locations.
Spoiling a ballot: When participating in municipal elections, electors can either decline to vote or spoil their ballot. Declining to vote is a choice to not participate in the voting process; spoiling a ballot is a form of participation that results in an invalid vote.