Three Weeks Left to Register as a Candidate in the October Municipal Election
Council candidates need 25 signatures and a filing fee. Bruce County municipalities are moving to internet and telephone voting, with no paper ballots.
Anyone planning to run for municipal council or school board trustee this fall has until 2 p.m. on Friday, August 21 to file nomination papers.
The deadline is set in the Municipal Elections Act and is the same in every Ontario municipality. Papers are filed with the clerk of the municipality where the candidate is running — not with the county, and not with the province.
The Municipality of Arran-Elderslie issued a reminder this week setting out what candidates need. The requirements below come from that notice and apply broadly, but details vary between municipalities, so confirm with your own clerk before filing.
What candidates need
Council candidates must file Form 2, an endorsement of nomination signed by at least 25 eligible voters. Trustee candidates do not.
The filing fee is $200 for head of council and $100 for all other offices.
Candidates must be registered before spending any money on a campaign or accepting any contribution. Registering after the fact is not an option.
Papers can be filed during regular business hours up to the deadline. Arran-Elderslie asks candidates to book an appointment first, and other municipalities may do the same.
After the deadline
Clerks review each nomination and decide whether the candidate meets the requirements of the Act. Certified candidates appear on the ballot. Anyone rejected is notified.
That review is why the field isn’t final on August 21. Candidates can also withdraw, and clerks publish certified lists in the days following.
Voting
Arran-Elderslie’s notice states that municipalities in Bruce County will use internet and telephone voting this election, with no paper ballots.
Voting opens Monday, October 19 and closes Monday, October 26 at 8 p.m. — an eight-day period rather than a single election day.
Voting method is set by each municipality individually, so arrangements in Grey County municipalities are not covered by that notice and will differ.
Owen Sound Current’s Election Guide covers nominations, offices and voting arrangements across Grey and Bruce.
Related:
