To seek election for a position on council, you must:

• Be 18 years of age at the time of nomination;
  
• Be a Canadian citizen;
• Be ordinarily resident in the city for 30 days immediately preceding the nomination period;
• Not be indebted to Council for arrears of taxes or other charges payable to the city;
• Not be otherwise disqualified under the Municipal Elections Act.

Those interested in pursuing election are encouraged to review legislation which governs all aspects of the City of St. John’s Municipal Election. A Candidate’s Guide to the City of St. John’s Municipal Election is being prepared and will be posted here when available.
 
New for 2021. Changes to the Election Finance By-Law
 
On October 26, 2020, changes to the Election Finance By-Law were formally adopted by Council.

• The limit for a financial contribution considered a “donation” is reduced from $250 to $100
• Corporate and union donations are capped to 50% of the total allowable contributions for the 2021 Election. Beginning in the 2025 Election, any/all corporate and union donations will be prohibited
• Individual, corporate and trade union donations are reduced from $2,000 to $1,000
• Contributions can only be made to a candidate within the calendar year of the election
• Disclosure of campaign contributions and expenditures is reduced from 90 days post-election to 30 days post-election
• Expenditures in addition to contributions are now required to be disclosed
• Expenditure caps for candidates have been reduced from $10,000 plus $1.00 for each voter on the voters list, to:

 
*Actual amounts are determined based on the final number of registered voters on election day.