Become a candidate: 2025 Calgary General Election
In the 2025 Calgary General Election, you can become a candidate for one of the following:
- Mayor
- Councillor
- Public School Board Trustee
- Separate School Board Trustee
The Local Authorities Election Act (LAEA) governs elections for Alberta’s local jurisdictions, including Calgary City Council and Calgary School Boards. Prospective candidates should refer to the LAEA for complete details on the nomination process and obtain legal advice regarding the full extent of their obligations.
Important dates
Nominations open: Jan. 2, 2025
Nominations close: Sept. 22, 2025 at noon
Election Day: Monday, Oct. 20, 2025
Steps to become a candidate
1. Check your eligibility
Who can be a candidate
All candidates must be eligible to vote and:
- Have been a resident of the local jurisdiction for the six months leading up to Nomination Day.
- Not otherwise be ineligible or disqualified.
More information about candidate eligibility is outlined in the Local Authorities Election Act.
Councillor and school board trustee candidates do not have to be a resident of the ward they wish to represent.
Separate school board trustee candidates have additional requirements under Section 74(3) of the Education Act.
Who cannot be a candidate
You cannot be a candidate if you:
- Are an employee of the Office of the Ombudsman who has not taken a leave of absence before Nomination Day.
- Are an auditor of the local jurisdiction where you are running.
- Are an employee of The City of Calgary who is running for Council and who has not taken a leave of absence before Nomination Day.
- Are an employee of the school division, charter school, or private school who is running for school trustee and who has not taken a leave of absence before Nomination Day.
- Are in default to The City of Calgary more than $50 in taxes in arrears (does not include current taxes or a consolidation agreement in good standing). Does not apply to school board trustee candidates.
- Owe The City of Calgary $500 or more and in default for more than 90 days – does not apply to school board trustee candidates.
- Have been convicted of an offence in the last 10 years under the Local Authorities Election Act, the Election Act, the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act or the Canada Elections Act (federal).
- Have been convicted of an offense that is punishable by imprisonment for five or more years.
- Have been convicted of an offense under Section 123, 124, or 125 of the Criminal Code of Canada.
- Are serving an ineligibility period due to your name appearing in a non-compliance report to Council or the school board.
- Accept or spend an anonymous or unauthorized contribution after submitting an intent to run notice.
Step 2 - Notice of intent to be nominated
Notice requirement
Individuals who intend to incur campaign expenses or receive campaign contributions in anticipation of being nominated as a candidate are required to file a notice with Elections Calgary.
Submit the notice in writing and include the following:
- full name, address and contact information of the individual;
- address of the place or places where records of the individual are maintained;
- address of the place to which communications may be sent;
- names and addresses of the financial institutions where campaign contributions will be deposited; and
- names of the individuals with signing authority for each campaign account above.
Elections Calgary will confirm acceptance of all notices received.
Submit the notice of intent to be nominated
The notice of intent to be nominated can be submitted in one of the following ways:
Email: candidates@calgary.ca
Mail:
City of Calgary
Attn: Elections Calgary, Mailcode #207
P.O. Box 2100, Station ‘M’
Calgary, AB, T2P 2M5
In-person: Elections Calgary office, 2nd floor, 2340 22 St. N.E.
Register of candidates
After submitting a notice of intent to be nominated, your name will appear on the register of candidates on Elections Calgary's website.
Step 3 – File nomination
Nomination requirements
Forms will be available in late 2024.
The following items are required for your nomination to be complete:
- Form 4 Nomination Paper and Candidate’s Acceptance
- Form 5 Candidate Financial Information
- Candidate Contact Information Form
- Criminal record check
- Deposit payment
Obtain the required number of signatures (Form 4)
- Signatures must be from eligible voters who live within the jurisdiction you wish to represent.
- Original hand-written signatures are required. Digital signatures are not accepted.
- Mayor and councillor candidates require a minimum of 100 signatures.
- School board trustee candidates require a minimum of 25 signatures.
- We recommend you collect more than the minimum required number of signatures in case one or more signatures have missing or illegible information.
Write how your name should appear on the ballot (Form 4)
- Form 4 must include how your name will appear on the ballot. This will include the name of the local political party you are endorsed by or the name of the slate.
- If you are not running with a political party or slate, you must indicate that you are running as an independent candidate.
Signed by a Commissioner of Oaths (Form 4)
Form 4 must be signed by a Commissioner of Oaths before you submit your nomination. Alternatively, it can be signed by the Returning Officer or designate when you file your nomination in person.
Candidate financial information (Form 5)
You are required to open a campaign account in your name or your campaign’s name at the time of nomination or as soon as possible after total campaign contributions exceed $1,000. Information required on the Form 5 includes:
- Addresses where campaign records will be stored,
- Name(s), address(es), of the financial institutions where campaign contributions will be deposited, and
- Names of individuals who have signing authorities for the campaign account.
Obtain a criminal record check
Candidates are required to provide a criminal record check at the time nomination papers are filed.
- Must be dated no earlier than six months before the date your nomination is filed.
- Choose the “employment” category on the application form.
- Candidates are responsible for paying any application fees.
- Check the Calgary Police Service's website for current processing times.
Mayor, councillor and public school board trustee candidates: A Police Information Check (PIC) from the Calgary Police Service is required.
Separate school board trustee candidates: A criminal record check must be obtained from the local police service where you reside:
- Calgary Police Service if you live in Calgary.
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police if you live outside of Calgary.
Pay a deposit
$500 for mayoral candidates
$100 for councillor and school board trustee candidates.
The deposit can be paid by:
- cash,
- certified cheque payable to “The City of Calgary,”
- money order payable to “The City of Calgary,”
- debit card, or
- credit card.
Personal cheques are not accepted. Do not send cash deposits in the mail.
Refunds
Your deposit is refunded if you:
- are elected to office,
- withdraw your nomination, or
- receive at least half of the total number of votes cast for the elected candidate in your contest.
File nomination
Deadline: You must file your nomination on or before Nomination Day on Sept. 22, 2025 at noon.
Another person may file the nomination on your behalf. However, you are responsible for ensuring the nomination is accurate and complete.
File your nomination (with completed forms and deposit payment) by mail, courier, or in-person appointment:
Mail or courier:
A certified cheque or money order payable to “The City of Calgary” will be accepted. Do not send cash deposits via mail or courier.
Canada Post regular and registered mail address:
City of Calgary
Elections Calgary, Mailcode #207
P.O. Box 2100, Station ‘M’
Calgary, AB T2P 2M5
Courier and deliveries address:
City of Calgary
Elections Calgary, Mailcode #207
825-3rd St. S.E.
Calgary, AB T2G 5E6
In-person appointment:
Elections Calgary office, 2nd floor, 2340 22nd St. N.E.
Book online or call to schedule an in person appointment.
Additional information
Acclamation
If a candidate is elected by acclamation, the Returning Officer declares the person to be elected following the close of nominations on Sept. 22, 2025.
Public access to nomination documents
Members of the public may view nomination documents in-person and under supervision at the Elections Calgary office. This includes results of the criminal record check.
Mailing addresses of you and your official agent will be blacked out from documents before they are made available to the public.
If you have questions about public access to documents, email candidates@calgary.ca or call the helpline at 403-476-4110.
Salary for mayor or councillor
Information about council duties, compensation and benefits can be found on The City of Calgary website.
Time committment for mayor or councillor
Do I need to quit my current job if elected as mayor or councillor?
The term of office for mayor and councillor is four years. The positions of councillor and mayor are deemed to be a full-time position in respect to the time commitment required. Council members typically spend more than 40 hours each week attending meetings, representing Council and their ward at community events, learning about key issues and matters for decision, and communicating with residents.
Time commitment for school trustee
Do I need to quit my current job if elected as school trustee?
The term of office for school trustee is four years. Prospective candidates are encouraged to learn more about the time commitment and duties required of a trustee before filing a nomination.
Board of Trustees | About Us | Calgary Board of Education (cbe.ab.ca)
Board of Trustees - Calgary Catholic School District (cssd.ab.ca)
Withdrawal of nomination
The last day to formally withdraw is noon on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. After this date, your name will appear on the ballot. From there, you are responsible for informing voters of your withdrawal.
To withdraw your nomination, you must submit a written statement to the Returning Officer. Withdrawals will not be accepted if you have been declared elected by acclamation.
Withdrawal notices are final. If you withdraw, then change your mind, you must submit a new nomination.
A written withdrawal statement can be submitted in one of the following ways:
Email: candidates@calgary.ca
Mail:
City of Calgary
Attn: Elections Calgary, Mailcode #207
P.O. Box 2100, Station ‘M’
Calgary, AB, T2P 2M5
In-person: Elections Calgary office, 2nd floor at 2340 22nd St. N.E.
Note: Information on this website is provided for reference only. It is not legal advice and should not be relied on as such. All political participants including candidates, local political parties, slates and third party advertisers are subject to further requirements. Political participants should refer to the Local Authorities Election Act and associated regulations and obtain legal advice regarding the full extent of their obligations.
