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How do I Become a Candidate?
There are three steps to becoming a candidate in a Manitoba provincial election.
  • determine your eligibility
  • declare your intention to become a candidate
  • file your nomination papers

Eligibility

  • 18 years old on election day
  • Canadian citizen
  • living in Manitoba for at least six months immediately before election day
However, people in the following positions cannot become candidates in a provincial election
  • a member of the House of Commons or the Senate of Canada or of the Legislative Assembly of another province or territory
  • a municipal council member
  • a person who may not be nominated under sections 12 to 17 of The Legislative Assembly Act
  • an election official or enumerator
  • a person imprisoned in a correctional institution
  • a person convicted of an offence under The Elections Act within five years before election day
The Legislative Assembly Act also lists requirements for those who want to be a candidate for, or elected as a member of, the Legislative Assembly.
 

Declare your intent to be a candidate

You can declare your intent to be a candidate before or during an election in one of two ways:
 
  1. Political party candidate (Form 904)
    Constituency associations of registered political parties nominate most candidates but some parties do not have constituency associations. In either event this means affiliating yourself with a registered political party.

  2. Independent candidate (not affiliated with a registered political party, Form 905)
    Declaring your intent may consist of filing nomination papers or making a public announcement with a press release or by some other method such as accepting contributions for the purpose of contesting an election.

Filing nomination papers

File your nomination papers (Form 400 and Form 908 - Appointment of Auditor) with Elections Manitoba before 1:00 p.m. on the TUESDAY 21 days before election day in a set date election, or MONDAY 15 days before election day in any other election. After the nomination papers have been verified you will become an official candidate in a provincial election.
 
Form 400 requires:
  • candidate's name, residential address and mailing address
  • name and residential address of the person who will act as official agent (including his or her signed consent)
  • at least 100 signatures of qualified voters in the electoral division in which candidate wants to run

Other items of interest

Section 14 of The Elections Act states the conditions for an employer to grant an unpaid leave of absence from work to an employee who is a candidate.

Elections Manitoba's candidate package provides detailed information on candidates' rights and responsibilities. Please contact us to request a copy.

Information about who the candidates are can be found on the Who Are the Candidates? page.

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