Our mandate is prescribed in the Elections and Plebiscites Act.

In exercising our duties, we must respect the rights and obligations of all participants in the electoral process in accordance with territorial election law as well as the Constitution Acts, the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, and statutes governing matters such as information and privacy.

The Northwest Territories follows a system of ‘fixed election dates’, whereby the Legislative Assembly may not sit for a period longer than four years after the return of the writs.  Polling day for a general election must be the first Monday in October, four years after the last general election.

Although there is no law prohibiting territorial political parties, no parties have successfully contested a territorial election.  As such, the Elections and Plebiscites Act has no provisions governing matters such as leadership selection or party financing. The absence of political parties in the electoral process is generally considered one of the features of the NWT system of consensus government.

Role

Major components of our work before, during, and after an election period include:

• the appointment and training of election officers;
• informing the public about election rights and procedures;
• maintaining a voters list;
• supervising the casting of ballots;
• reporting election results;
• auditing candidate campaign returns;
• enforcing election law, and
• recommending changes to election law.

In between general elections, our work includes:

• maintaining a general state of election readiness;
• exploring operational improvements;
• expanding awareness and education about electoral systems;
• assisting the work of an electoral boundaries commission, and
• supporting the Legislative Assembly in amending election law.

Historical Events in Northern Elections

1960 -  Extension of the franchise to Aboriginal peoples in Canada.

1979 -  First election conducted under the Territorial Election Ordinance, rather than under the Canada Elections Act.

1982 -  Plebiscite on the division of the Northwest Territories.

1992 -  Plebiscite on the boundary for territorial division (for the creation of Nunavut).

1997 -  First resident Chief Electoral Officer appointed.

1999 -  First election under completely devolved authority from Elections Canada to Elections NWT.

2003 -  Separation of the role of Clerk of the Legislative Assembly and Chief Electoral Officer.