Elections Manitoba

Elections Manitoba
Élections Manitoba

The Elections Manitoba Building in Winnipeg
Agency overview
Formed1980
Jurisdictionelections and plebiscites in Manitoba
Headquarters120 - 200 Vaughan Street Winnipeg, MB R3C 1T5
Employees21
Agency executive
  • Shipra Verma, Chief Electoral Officer
Key documents
  • The Elections Act
  • The Election Financing Act
WebsiteOfficial website

Elections Manitoba (French: Élections Manitoba) is the non-partisan agency of the Government of Manitoba responsible for the conduct and regulation of provincial elections in Manitoba.[1][2][3]

Its responsibilities are to operate free of political influence; conduct Manitoba's provincial elections, by-elections, and referendums; ensure that all eligible citizens have the opportunity to vote; promote public awareness of voting and the electoral process; help political participants to comply with election rules; facilitate The Elections Act and The Election Financing Act; and recommend improvements to existing legislation.[4]

It is the office of the Chief Electoral Officer of Manitoba (CEO), who heads Elections Manitoba with assistance from the Deputy Chief Electoral Officer. The CEO administers provincial elections in order to ensure their fairness and freedom from political influence. The Officer reports to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and must be non-partisan, i.e., they cannot be a member of a political party or vote in an election.[4][5] The current CEO as of May 2021 is Shipra Verma, who was appointed in 2013.[5]

The Commissioner of Elections is appointed by the Chief Electoral Officer in consultation with all political parties, and is solely responsible for prosecuting and investigating violations of election law.[4] The current Commissioner is Bill Bowles.[6]

  1. ^ Gibson, Shane (11 September 2019). "Fewer voters turn out for 2019 election than 2016, says Elections Manitoba". Global News. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  2. ^ Westhaver, Eric. "Flin Flon byelection postponed indefinitely due to COVID-19". Flin Flon Reminder. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  3. ^ Pursaga, Joyanne (12 September 2019). "Five things you should know about the Manitoba election | Winnipeg Sun". Winnipeg. Manitoba: Winnipeg Sun. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "About Elections Manitoba". www.electionsmanitoba.ca. Retrieved 2021-05-17.
  5. ^ a b "Chief Electoral Officer". www.electionsmanitoba.ca. Retrieved 2021-05-17.
  6. ^ "About Manitoba's Commissioner of Elections". www.commissionerofelections.mb.ca. Retrieved 2021-05-18.