Elected positions

Elected positions are the most common manner of selection of local government members. They are selected in local elections, based on a system of choosing political office holders in which the voters cast ballots for the person, persons or political party that they desire to see elected. The category of elected positions includes both elected persons who competed on openly contested seats and persons selected during the electoral processes on reserved seats or through a candidate quota.

By comparison, members selected on appointed positions (the least common manner of selection of local government members) are nominated, typically by government officials from higher-ranking tiers of government. Appointed positions of local government are more frequent among the leadership positions, such as the heads of the executive body, representatives of specific groups (e.g., disadvantaged groups, youth); and, temporary committees/delegations/caretakers appointed by government officials when a council has been dissolved.

Related terms

• Seats held in local government
• Local government
• Deliberative bodies
• Members of municipal councils or other local area governing bodies (until 2018 round of data collection)