Financial Information & Statistics, Volume
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Financial Information & Statistics Volume III 39th Provincial General Election October 8, 2013 Published by the Chief Electoral Officer June 15, 2014 Financial Information & Statistics Volume III 39th Provincial General Election October 8, 2013 Published by the Chief Electoral Officer June 15, 2014 June 15, 2014 The Honourable Kevin Murphy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Province House 1726 Hollis Street Halifax NS B3J 2Y3 Dear Mr. Speaker: I have the honour to present Financial Information & Statistics, Volume III of the report of the Chief Electoral Officer on the proceedings of the 39th Nova Scotia Provincial Election held on October 8, 2013. Volume I entitled Statement of Votes and Statistics was published in December 2013, and Volume II, Report on the Conduct of the Election and Recommendations for Legislative Change, was published in April 2014. This volume provides information related to the candidate, registered party, and third party expenses as well as the reimbursements made to the candidates for election expenses. Election administration costs are also included, and comparative statistics are provided where available. In addition, this report contains six recommendations for legislative change. I respectfully request that you submit Volume III of this report to the House of Assembly during the next sitting. This report is submitted to the House of Assembly in accordance with section 163 of the Elections Act. Sincerely, Richard Temporale Chief Electoral Officer Contents 1. Summary 1 2. Registered Parties 3 2.1 Spending Limits, Reporting and Public Funding 3 3. Candidates and Third-Parties 7 3.1 Responsibilities of the Official Agent 13 3.2 Candidate Election Expenses Spending Limits 13 3.3 Candidate Reimbursement 15 3.4 Third Party Advertising 30 4. Returning Offices 31 4.1 Establishing Returning Offices 31 4.2 Returning Office Staffing 31 4.3 Returning Office Costs 31 5. Cost per Elector 37 6. Recommendations of the Chief Electoral Officer 39 Consultations with the Election Commission 39 Consultations with the Caucuses of the Registered Parties 40 Removal of the requirement for audit if election expenses are less than $500. 40 Requirement of electronic filing of financial report by candidates 41 Extend the period for review by the public to 12 months after election day 41 Publication of Third Party expenses deadline be changed to six months after election day 41 Abbreviations CEO Chief Electoral Officer CPI Nova Scotia Consumer Price Index EDA Electoral District Association ENS Elections Nova Scotia GPNS Green Party of Nova Scotia MPEDA Members and Public Employees Disclosure Act NDP Nova Scotia New Democratic Party NSLP Nova Scotia Liberal Party PC The Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia Regulations Political Contributions Disclosure Regulations Tariff Tariff of Fees and Expenses Volume III, Financial Information & Statistics 1. Summary he report of the Chief Electoral Party, 12 members of the Nova Scotia TOfficer on the proceedings of the Liberal Party, seven members of The 39th Nova Scotia Provincial General Progressive Conservative Association of Election held on October 8, 2013 is Nova Scotia and two vacancies. presented in three volumes. In the October 8, 2013 Provincial Volume I, Statement of Votes & Statistics General Election, 176 candidates published December 2013 provides stood for election: 51 from each of the the recapitulation of the election Nova Scotia Liberal Party (NSLP), the results, identifies elected members, Nova Scotia New Democratic Party official agents and returning officers, (NDP), The Progressive Conservative summarizes election results and Association of Nova Scotia (PC), and provides detailed results and statistics 16 from the Green Party of Nova Scotia by voting area (poll by poll results). (GPNS). In addition, there were 7 Volume II, Report on the Conduct of independent candidates. the Election and Recommendations for Of the total number of candidates Legislative Change, published April 2014 who stood for election, 143 achieved the and Volume III, Financial Information & required threshold of 10% of the valid Statistics published June, 2014 following votes cast in their electoral districts completion of accounts, provides qualifying them for reimbursement of a financial information on election portion of their election expenses from expenses, candidate reimbursement, public funding. Total reimbursement election administration costs and paid to these 143 candidates as of March financial and comparative statistics. 31, 2014 amounted to $2,932,344 for On September 7, 2013 at the the October 8, 2013 Provincial General request of Premier Darrell Dexter, the Election. There is also an amount of Lieutenant Governor, the Honourable approximately $56,000 for candidates J.J.Grant,CMM,ONS, CD dissolved whose claims have not yet been the Legislative Assembly. An Order in finalized. By comparison, in the 38th Council directed the Chief Electoral Provincial General Election held on Officer to issue the writs of election to June 9, 2009, when the reimbursement 51 electoral districts, ordering that a threshold was 10%, 146 out of 212 Nova Scotia Provincial General Election candidates standing for election received be held on Tuesday, October 8, 2013. public funding for election expenses As no candidates were being returned of $2,699,458. In the 37th Provincial by acclamation, a poll was held in all General Election held on June 13, 2006, electoral districts. when the reimbursement threshold was At the time of dissolution there were 15%, 134 out of 208 candidates standing four registered parties, 52 electoral for election received public funding for districts in Nova Scotia. A review of election expenses of $2,301,080. electoral boundaries took place in 2012, Registered party election expenses for resulting in a reduction of electoral the October 8, 2013 Provincial General districts from 52 to 51. Standings in the Election were $951,975. By comparison House of Assembly were 31 members of the Nova Scotia New Democratic 1 Volume III, Financial Information & Statistics registered party election expenses were district returning offices and costs $1,247,204 in 2009 and $1,316,413 in incurred by Elections Nova Scotia to 2006. administer the election. Costs incurred Candidate election expenses prior to the issuance of the writs for the October 8, 2013 Provincial of election for supplies, materials, General Election were $4,591,884. computer equipment, software, election By comparison, candidate election officer training, consulting services and expenses were $4,808,932 in 2009 and any other related expenses which are $4,451,757 in 2006. expended between elections to ensure Total administration costs for the ongoing election readiness are not 2013 Provincial General Election, included. excluding reimbursement of candidate A summary of the total election election expenses and audit fees, were expenses per elector was $13.02, $6,274,406. This figure includes all compared to $10.37 in 2009 and $9.22 direct costs incurred by the electoral in 2006. Table 1-1: Cost per Elector (comparative 2006, 2009 and 2013 Provincial General Elections) Description: October 8, 2013 June 9, 2009 June 13, 2006 Candidate Election Expenses/ Nomination deposit reimbursement $3,016,714 $2,699,458 $2,301,081 Candidate Audit Fee $86,025 $100,778 $63,568 Returning Office Costs $6,274,406 $4,607,982 $3,883,628 Total Election Cost * $9,377,145 $7,408,218 $6,248,277 Number of Electors on List 720,077 714,675 678,036 Cost per elector $13.02 $10.37 $9.22 * includes estimate of $55,770.65 for candidates expenses not finalized A new requirement for Third Parties • Volume I, Statement of Votes & who advertised during the writ period Statistics was introduced. Eight Third Parties were • Volume II, Report on the Conduct of registered, and their total spending the Election and Recommendations for amount is to be published on or Legislative Change before October 8, 2014. Of the eight • Volume III, Financial Information & registered, four entered into compliance Statistics agreements where they agreed that there had been a breach of the requirement to register when a total of $500 was spent. The following reports relating for the 2013 Provincial General Election are available on the Elections Nova Scotia website at www.electionsnovascotia.ca 2 Volume III, Financial Information & Statistics 2. Registered Parties 2.1 Spending Limits, 2.1.1 Registered Party Election Reporting and Public Expenses Spending Limits Funding Subsection 259(1) of the Elections Act establishes the maximum amount a Determination of spending limits for registered party may incur for election election campaigns and reporting of expenses as defined in Section 166(i) of registered party election expenses are the Elections Act. In the October 8, 2013 important components of the electoral Provincial General Election, the election finance regime in Nova Scotia. The expenses of a registered party could Elections Act sets out a formula by not exceed the aggregate of $2.396 which registered party spending limits multiplied by the number of electors are established. Within 120 days of in the electoral districts in which the the date fixed for the return of the registered party endorsed a candidate. writs of election, the official agent of Table 2-1 below shows the registered each registered party is required to party election expense limits by electoral file a report of election expenses with district. Each of the three registered supporting receipts and an independent parties who had members in the House auditor’s opinion respecting the report. of Assembly endorsed candidates in While there are no provisions in the all 51 electoral districts. This resulted Elections Act for the reimbursement of in each registered party having a total registered party election expenses; the election expenses spending limit of results of the election do determine the $1,730,949. The Green Party of Nova amount of public funding a registered Scotia endorsed candidates in 16 party will receive each year following the districts resulting in a spending limit of election (see Section 2.1.3).