Trustee Elections | Sooke School District

General local government elections in British Columbia are held every four years, including the elections for the offices of School District Trustees. The next election is October 17, 2026.

The Board of Education of School District No. Willway students at the beach 62 (Sooke) is comprised of seven (7) trustees representing the following areas:

Four (4) trustees from Belmont Zone (Area 1) – Colwood, Highlands, Langford, and Metchosin
Three (3) trustees from Milnes Landing Zone (Area 2) - Sooke, Port Renfrew

Trustees will be at-large, serving both zones for a four-year term (2026-2030).

Elections are conducted by the respective municipalities.

Key Election Dates

Elections BC outlines the following key election dates:

Pre-campaign period begins	July 20, 2026
Deadline to apply to register an elector organization	July 31, 2026
Deadline for voter registration with Elections BC (Voters may still register with their local government)	August 18, 2026
Nomination period begins	September 1, 2026
Close of nominations	September 11, 2026
Campaign period begins	September 19, 2026
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Elections BC closed)	September 30, 2026
Thanksgiving Day (Elections BC closed)	October 12, 2026
General Voting Day	October 17, 2026
Disclosure statement filing deadline	January 15, 2027
Late filing deadline for disclosure statements (with $500 fee)	February 16, 2027

About School Trustees

School trustees are democratically and locally elected members of a board of education, responsible for setting the strategic direction of public education in their district and ensuring schools are governed with transparency and accountability. They are the link between their community and the public education system, making decisions that affect students, staff, and families across their district.

When you join a board of education, you're not just representing your community, you're accepting a legal responsibility to act in the best interests of students across the district, even when its not easy. Similar to directors on any corporate board, trustees carry a fiduciary duty. This means trustees have a legal and ethical obligation to put the interests of the school board and the students it serves above personal opinion, community pressure, or the priorities of any single group.

As a school trustee, you'll focus on governance, setting direction, creating policy, and ensuring accountability. School trustees do not manage daily school or district operations, which is the role of the Superintendent.

Learn more about the role of elected school trustees: Trustee Elections – British Columbia School Trustees Association

Important Prospective Candidate Information

A person is qualified to be nominated, elected, and to hold office as a School Trustee if they meet the following criteria:
- Canadian citizen;
- 18 years of age or older on general voting day;
- Resident of British Columbia for at least 6 months immediately before the day nomination papers are filed; and
- Not disqualified under the School Act or any other enactment from being nominated for, being elected to or holding office as a trustee, or be otherwise disqualified by law.
- School Trustee Nomination Package
- School Trustee Candidate Information Release Form
- School Trustee Elector Organization Package
The Notice of Nomination will be posted in late August and will outline information on the nomination process, qualifications for office, campaign period expense limits, and third party advertising limits. Information will be posted closer to the next general election.
To be eligible to vote in a school trustee election, a person must qualify either as a resident elector or a non-resident property elector, and must be registered or deemed to be registered as an elector of the trustee electoral area [School Act, section 39 (1)(a) and (c)]. In addition, the person must not be any of the following:
- disqualified under the School Act, or other enactment or law, from voting in the election;
- completing a sentence for an indictable offence, unless the person is released on probation or parole and is not in custody;
- involuntarily confined to a psychiatric or other institution as a result of being acquitted of, or found not criminally responsible for, an offence under the Criminal Code on account of mental disorder;
- proven to have accepted an inducement to vote.
[School Act, section 39 (1)(b) and (2)]
In addition, a person who has filed a declaration with the francophone education authority that he or she has not and will not vote in an election of school trustees is disqualified from voting at a trustee election to which the declaration applies [School Act, section 39 (2.1)].
A person is not permitted to vote more than once in a trustee election for any one school district [School Act, section 39 (4)]. Further, no corporation or its representative may be registered as an elector, and no corporation may vote [School Act, section 39 (3)].
View the Voter’s Guide to Local Elections in B.C. for additional information.