No candidates have yet filed their intentions to run for municipal office, but it's early in the game. 

In preparation for the Oct. 16 general election, town council has passed the Municipal Election Bylaw which lays out the rules for voting and the count that follows.

The procedure will be similar to the 2013 election but changes have been made to the Local Authorities Election Act that will impact how candidates report their fundraising and how they disperse excess funds. 

Explains Cochrane returning officer Jaylene Knight, candidates can continue to receive a maximum of $5,000 per contributor, including inkind contributions, but they must now file their intention to run in advance of any fundraising.

"Every candidate prior to taking in any campaign contributions are required to file a notice of intent with the municipality to run as a candidate in the next campaign," she says. "The only time that doesn't apply is if they are completely self-funded. So if they are paying out of their own pocket they don't need to file with us, but if they are taking any campaign contributions at all that needs to be filed in advance of that."

Following the election they must file a financial disclosure statement by Mar. 1 and turn over those excess funds to the town to hold in trust.

"We would then hold that money in trust, it would earn interest and then when the next election cycle comes around, so in four years, if that candidate has decided not to run again it's at that point that the money needs to be given to a charity of their choice and if they don't provide any feedback on that then the municipality keeps those funds.”

The town's population has grown considerably since the last election and that has had a large impact on the election budget. It is now set at $50,000, up from $26,000 in 2013.

"We've had about a 25 per cent increase in residents, which means eligible voters, so that increases a lot of costs around ballots and forms that are required to be filled out at the polling stations as well as increased staffing at those polling stations to move everybody through and increase the voting access and that sort of things," says Knight.

The town will also be retiring their old voting machines and renting new ones going forward. Technology rapidly changes and renting the latest equipment appears to be the better way to ensure the most accurate count possible.

Cochrane had a mere 33 per cent turnout for the last municipal election and perhaps more advance polls will increase this number. This time around the town intends to have four advance polls; two full Saturdays and two evenings. The dates and locations have not been set but will be well advertised, says Knight.

Legislative Services manager Jaylene Knight's report to council did not recommend the creation of a voters list. It was considered a costly undertaking of about $35,000 that would do nothing further to confirm the eligibility of a voter than the identification requirements put into place by the province for the 2013 election. Voters are required to have one government-issued piece of identification with the elector's photograph and current address plus a second piece from a list of options the municipal specifies.

On election day, the voting stations will continue to be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., something that was established by Cochrane in 2007. Special ballots for those absent on election day will also continue to be available. In 2013, 33 requests for special ballots.

While the town has seen rapid growth, the idea of a ward system also continues to be declined at this point.

No candidate has yet filed with the town, but that doesn't mean there aren't any in the wings.

“They may be discussing their platforms but not accepting campaign contributions at this point," says Knight."Generally those discussions start very early in the year."

Council also gave the nod to jointly conducting the election with the Rocky View School Division. Should there need to be an election for school trustee, the school division would pay 38 per cent of the joint election costs.

In 2013,13 people ran for council and three for mayor. Three people ran for school trustee.