Editing New Candidate Guide (section)

=== Completing the Paperwork<br/> ===

Yah, there's a bit of paperwork. It should take 30 minutes, excluding signature collection.

#Application to be a Libertarian Candidate - This is an agreement between you and the Party which includes the Candidate's pledge, "I will not advocate anything inconsistent with the Ontario Libertarian Party Statement of Principles." The second page provides a checklist to assist you and the Party in planning your campaign.
#Call your Returning Officer: If it's an unscheduled election (i.e. before October 2015), it will take a few days for your returning officer to set up  the Office.&nbsp; The name, address  and phone number will be posted on  the Elections Ontario web site a few days after the election is called.&nbsp; ([http://fyed.elections.on.ca/fyed/en/form_page_en.jsp Find your Electoral District].)&nbsp; Its a good idea to contact your local Returning Officer (RO) and introduce yourself as the Libertarian Candidate and give them your contact phone number and email. Local media and community groups will contact the RO, and your name will be available to them.
#Nomination Form - This is available from Elections Ontario[[http://www.elections.on.ca/en-CA/CandidatesAndParties/Candidate/Forms.htm]]. Use this form (F0400[[http://www.elections.on.ca/NR/rdonlyres/9A2D4435-8360-4A72-85BA-EB4AC4BAAF1E/0/F0400NominationPaperEng062011.pdf]]) to collect 25 signatures (35-40 to be safe) from eligible voters that live in your riding. It must be filed with the Returning Officer (RO) in the riding (Electoral District) where you are running before the close of nominations. You may collect them anytime, even before the writ is dropped, however if you collect them too early, some of the voters on your nomination form may have moved.  (Nominations open the Thursday one week after the Writ is issued (three weeks before Polling Day) for a by-election or if the government is defeated.  In the case of a scheduled election (e.g. October 2105) nominations open four weeks before Polling Day. Nominations may be submitted up until 2:00 PM on the following Thursday.  Instructions for completing the form are [[Instructions for Nomination Form|here]]. 
#Party Endorsement - The Leader of the Party must endorse you as the Party's candidate in your Electoral District, in order to get the Party's name on the ballot under yours. Be sure to let the Regional Coordinator or Campaign Director know you have completed the nomination process.
#C-1 Candidate Registration and Change Notice - Available from Elections Ontario [[http://www.elections.on.ca/NR/rdonlyres/01E8838E-BE33-4E14-A20E-EF3B00736D4C/4722/FORM_C1_V072012.pdf]] or from the Party. It must be signed by you and your CFO (the person who will look after your finances and file your Campaign Return) and submitted to Elections Ontario Finance Department before Polling Day, and before you collect any donations for your campaign. The job of CFO may be centralized if the candidate has no expenses worth noting other than materials provided by the party.

==== Collect Signatures ====

You must collect the names, addresses and signatures of 25 voters who live in the riding you are running in. Some people give fake names/addresses. Each Electoral District has a big electronic database of names and addresses of registered voters. There are different ways signatures get "checked". If you are in the 2 week Nomination period, it's recommended to get 45 signatures if every one who signs is a stranger. If it is well before the writ period, fill one page with 30 signatures.  You will have lots of time to get more if necessary. Your spouse, friends, children, any Canadian citizen 18 years of age or older living in that riding is eligible to sign. 

It's a good idea to wear a name tag with the Party logo and to carry Platforms for anyone who asks for more information. You will need a clipboard and a couple of pens (in case one stops working or is lost).&nbsp; Call the Party for help with Name Tags. 

There are various methods for collecting signatures:

#Knock on your neighbours' doors - even if you haven't met them before.&nbsp; Be sure to ask if there are any other voters in the home. 
#Go to a local self-serve gas station (not one on a main thoroughfare). Captive audience, time to listen. Take a riding map since they may not live in the riding, or just get extras.
#Collect signatures at a plaza/mall or outside a grocery store or the local Beer Store.&nbsp; Do not go to a large mall that tends to attract tourists. If the owner or manager of the store asks what you are doing, explain, but if he or she asks you to leave, find another location.  

Some people will be hesitant to sign. Remember when collecting signatures you are asking for for their permission for you to be on the ballot. They are not required to vote for you.

When they hand it back, make sure you can read the name and address.  If necessary, ask them to spell it for you and make it readable,  Name is not as important. It's a good idea to check the addresses and identify any that are not in your riding. If the Riding Office is open, the RO will give you a poll key that lists the streets within the riding, or you could use Google if you are confident you know the boundaries of the riding.

==== Get Your Name on the Ballot ====

Once you have collected a sufficient number of signatures and completed the rest of the Nomination Form, call up your Returning Office and make an appointment to submit your form. If you do so well before the close of nominations you will have time to collect more signatures if neccessary.  In the case of an unscheduled election or a by-election, the Returning Office will not be open until a few days after the writ is issued.  Then you will be able to find the name, address and phone number for your RO on the [https://www3.elections.on.ca/internetapp/fyed.aspx Elections Ontario] web site.  

The Returning Officer will likely give your list of signatures to one of the clerks who will check to see if they are valid. Some ROs will accept the signature if the address is in the Electoral District. Others will check that the name is on the Preliminary list of voters.

The RO will offer you a variety of listings and other stuff.  We recommend you NOT accept the list of Electors unless you have a good use for it.  These are treated as confidential information and all copies must be returned or destroyed after the election.  You can accept maps, list of voting locations, poll keys and such like, but if you don’t plan to use them, don’t bother. 

You or your campaign manager will be invited to a couple of meetings at the RO.  Attendance is not required.  Mostly the RO covers procedures such as targeted enumeration.  

Once your nomination has been accepted, notify your Regional Coordinator and/or the Campaign Director.