Municipal Election FAQ

Anyone can vote in a Municipal Election who, on the day of the election, is: 

• 18 years of age or older 
• a Canadian citizen; and 
• either a resident of the municipality or a property owner or tenant or the spouse or same sex partner of an owner or tenant in the municipality during a specified time just before the election.  

Your name must be on the voters’ list in order for you to cast a ballot.

• a person serving a sentence of imprisonment in a penal or correctional institution;
• a corporation; or
• a person convicted of a corrupt practice for an election held within four years of voting day.

A person who is acting as an executor or in any other representative capacity (e.g., power of attorney), cannot vote on behalf of the person they are representing unless they have been appointed as a voting proxy.

The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) is responsible for collecting the information of residents in Ontario (name, date of birth, citizenship and school support) in order to create a Preliminary List of Electors for Municipal and School Board Elections. Municipalities will use the Preliminary List of Electors to prepare their Voters Lists for the 2022 Municipal and School Board Elections.

One of the ways MPAC collects this information is through voterlookup.ca. Here, Ontarians can add their name and the names of other members of their household to a secure database and confirm or update their information. This helps ensure that each municipality has the most accurate information possible for the 2022 Municipal and School Board Elections.

Take a few minutes to verify your information at voterlookup.ca and encourage your friends and family to do the same.

1. The place in which the person most frequently returned to sleep or eat during the five weeks preceding the determination.
2. If the person returns with equal frequency to one place to sleep and another to eat, the place in which he or she sleeps.
3. Multiple returns to the same place during a single day, to eat or sleep, are considered to be one return.

A person's affidavit regarding the places to which he or she returned to eat or sleep during a given time period is conclusive, in the absence of evidence to the contrary.

• An Ontario driver's license 
• An Ontario Health Card (photo card) 
• An Ontario Photo Card 
• An Ontario motor vehicle permit (vehicle portion) 
• A cancelled personalized cheque

Full list of Acceptable Identification

The municipality has rules in place about when signs can be put up, and how signs may be displayed on public property. These signs must adhere to the Township of Cavan Monaghan, Peterborough County and Ministry of Transportation (MTO) sign by-laws.

Candidates are responsible for removing their signs after voting day and are strongly encouraged to place election signs on private property with the permission of the property owner. The Township has the authority to remove any signs deemed to cause a safety hazard.

Activities that do not involve spending money, such as discussions or expressing an opinion about a candidate (or an answer to a question on the ballot) are not considered to be third party advertising. Examples include:

• speaking to friends and neighbours
• posting on social media, such as Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
• sending an email to a group or mailing list

Only those who have registered can spend money on third party advertising. The following are eligible to register as a third party advertiser:

• any person who is a resident in Ontario
• a corporation carrying on business in Ontario
• a trade union that holds bargaining rights for employees in Ontario

If two or more corporations are owned or controlled by the same person or people, or if one corporation controls another, they are considered to be a single corporation. If the same person or people own or control multiple corporations, only one of those corporations may register to be a third party in a municipality.

There is no restriction against family members or campaign staff of candidates registering to be third party advertisers. However, third party advertising must be done independently of the candidate. If a person with close ties to a candidate wishes to register they should consider how these activities may look to the public and how they would be able to demonstrate that they were not working in co-ordination with the candidate.

A candidate running for any Municipal Council or School Board Office cannot register to be a third party advertiser in any municipality.

Groups, associations or businesses that are not corporations are not eligible to register and may not spend money on third party advertising in municipal elections. For example, neighbourhood associations, clubs or professional associations cannot register and cannot make contributions to third party advertisers. Members may register as individual third party advertisers and may contribute individually.

Candidates in the Provincial election cannot register. They may register after the Provincial election, when they are no longer candidates.

Federal and Provincial political parties cannot register to be third party advertisers. Political parties are not permitted to be financially involved in municipal elections.

An individual, corporation or trade union must register with the Municipal Clerk to be a third party advertiser in a municipality.

Being registered in a municipality allows the third party to advertise to the voters in that municipality. A third party advertiser can support or oppose any candidate or candidates who will be voted on by the people in that municipality. This includes candidates running for local Council and School Trustee.

Third party advertisers do not need to decide before they register which candidate or candidates they want to support or oppose, and they do not have to tell the Clerk what their intentions are.

A third party can only advertise to voters in the municipality where they are registered. There is no limit on the number of municipalities where a third party can register. If a third party wants to advertise to voters in more than one municipality they must register in each municipality where they wish to advertise.

• Notice of Registration (Form 7)

An individual or a representative of a corporation or trade union must file a Notice of Registration (Form 7) with the Municipal Clerk in person or by an agent. It must have an original signature – the form may not be a copy, and may not be scanned and submitted electronically. There is no registration fee.

The Municipal Clerk must be satisfied that that the individual, corporation or trade union is eligible in order to certify the registration, and may require that identification or additional documents be provided.

A person who is filing as the representative of a corporation or a trade union should make sure that they can provide proof that they are authorized to act on the corporation or trade union’s behalf.

Election Signs

The municipality has rules in place about when signs can be put up, and how signs may be displayed on public property. Third Party Advertisers must adhere to the Township of Cavan Monaghan, Peterborough County and Ministry of Transportation (MTO) sign by-laws.

The Third Party Advertiser is responsible for removing their signs after voting day and are strongly encouraged to place election signs on private property with the permission of the property owner. The Township has the authority to remove any signs deemed to cause a safety hazard.

A third party advertiser must provide the following information on all of its advertisements, signs and other materials:

• the legal name of the registered third party (if the third party is a corporation or trade union, the name of the corporation or trade union must appear, not the name of the representative who filed the registration)
• the municipality where the third party is registered
• a telephone number, mailing address or email address where the third party can be contacted

A registered individual cannot act on behalf of a group or organization that is not eligible to register as a third party advertiser. For example, if Chris Smith is the president of a business improvement association (BIA), the signs and materials must identify Chris Smith as the person responsible for the advertising, not the BIA.

If ads are going to be broadcast or published (e.g. on a radio station or in a newspaper), the ad must contain the information required above, and the third party advertiser must also provide the broadcaster or publisher with the following:

• the name of the registered third party
• the name, business address and telephone number of the individual who deals with the broadcaster or publisher under the direction of the registered third party
• the municipality where the third party is registered

If you receive letters for people who do not reside with you and/or are deceased please return them to your local municipal office.  Clearly mark on the outside of the envelope the reason for the return.

If the family member is eligible to vote, they can contact the Clerk of the municipality they reside in to have their names added to the voters’ list.  

NO! Please note that it is against the law to vote more than once for any elected office within the same municipality or school board jurisdiction.

Please contact the Clerk’s Department at the Township Office to ensure your voter information is correct. If you receive a letter under a name you no longer use please return it to your local municipal office. Clearly mark on the outside of the envelope the reason for the return.

I own property in Cavan Monaghan and in another Township within the same District School Board Jurisdiction, can I vote for my School Board Trustee representative in both Municipal Elections?

As a property owner in both Townships, you are eligible to vote in both Municipal Elections, however, if you are voting in both Municipalities and your School Board Trustee represents both communities (i.e. is the same person on both ballots) please only cast one vote for that position and abstain from voting on the other ballot. It is illegal to vote for more than one candidate in a school board jurisdiction.

YOU! By entering the electronic voting system and entering your assigned PIN, you are declaring that you are eligible to vote in this election. This PIN is assigned to, and may only be used by, the elector identified in the Voter Identification Letter.

Please note that it is against the law to vote more than once for any elected office within the same municipality or school board jurisdiction.

Democracy is something we all share – it is up to us to do our part to protect it.

The Township of Cavan Monaghan will offer Internet or Telephone voting. Eligible electors will be able to vote from a mobile device, computer, telephone, cell phone, tablet, or laptop. Internet or telephone voting is a convenient option for electors, allowing them to access ballots anytime, anywhere.

If you require assistance in person, there is a Voter Assistance Centre at the Township Office – 988 County Road 10, Millbrook ON. Please bring your Voter Identification Letter with you.

You qualify to vote if:

• You are at least 18 years old on Election Day, October 24, 2022,
• You are a Canadian citizen,
• You or your spouse lives, rents or owns property in the municipality and,
• You are not otherwise prohibited by law from voting.

If you did not receive a Voter Identification Letter please contact the Clerk, Cindy Page at 705-932-9326 or email: voterhelp@cavanmonaghan.net to add your name to the voter list.
If you are applying to add your name to the voters’ list, you will be asked to provide proof that you are eligible to vote. Examples of identification include:

• Ontario driver’s license
• Ontario health card (if your name and address are printed on the card)
• mortgage, lease or rental agreement
• insurance policy
• credit card statement
• bill for hydro, water, gas, telephone, internet
• A full list of acceptable documents is available on the Province of Ontario’s website at: https://www.ontario.ca/document/2022-voters-guide-ontario-municipal-council-and-school-board-elections/acceptable 

If your name is not on the voters’ list and you do not have identification, you may fill out and sign a Declaration of Identity (Form 9) that you are the person whose name appears on the list.

The Province of Ontario sets out common rules that all voters and candidates must follow. However, municipalities are responsible for conducting elections to their Council and for conducting the election of school trustees to Ontario’s school boards.

The Province has prepared a Voter’s Guide which contains information about the rules that are the same for all municipal elections, such as who is eligible to vote and voters’ list and identification. This guide is available online at: https://www.cavanmonaghan.net/en/resources/en/resources/mmah-2022-voters-guide-en-2022-03-31.pdf  or by contacting the Township Office at 705-932-2929.

YOU! By entering the electronic voting system and entering your assigned PIN, you are declaring that you are eligible to vote in this election. This PIN is assigned to, and may only be used by, the elector identified in the Voter Identification Letter. Please note that it is against the law to vote more than once for any elected office within the same municipality or school board jurisdiction.

If you are an eligible voter and you feel that the election was not valid (either the election of a specific candidate or candidates, or the entire election), you can apply to the Superior Court of Justice to determine whether the election was valid. The application must be made within 90 days after voting day.
Any person can begin court proceedings against a person, trade union or corporation who they believe committed an offence in relation to an election. Only the court can decide whether the person, trade union or corporation is guilty of committing an offence, and only the court may determine the penalty. More information on enforcement and penalties is available in the 2022 Voters’ Guide available online at: https://www.cavanmonaghan.net/en/resources/en/resources/mmah-2022-voters-guide-en-2022-03-31.pdf 

Electronic voting provides a convenient and secure voting system that is accessible to everyone. The Voter Identification Letter provides you with a confidential Personal Identification Number (PIN) number which combined with your date of birth enables you to vote by Internet or Phone. Similar to electronic banking, this PIN is assigned to, and may only be used by, the elector identified in the Voter Identification Letter. It is against the law to vote more than once for any elected office within the same municipality or school board jurisdiction.