Information for Voters

Who can vote?

In order to be eligible to vote, you must meet the Qualifications of Electors as listed in the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, s.17(2)

To be eligible to vote in the election for municipal council you must meet all of the following requirements:

• you are a Canadian citizen
• you are aged 18 or older
• you qualify to vote in the municipality

There are three ways that you can qualify to vote in a municipality:

1. As a resident elector if you live in the municipality. You may own, rent, live in shared accommodation where you do not pay rent or live in the municipality but do not have a fixed address. Being a resident elector is the most common type of eligibility.

2. As a non-resident elector if you own or rent property in a municipality, but it’s not the one where you live. You can be a resident elector in only one municipality. However, you can be a non-resident elector in any other municipality (or municipalities) where you own or rent property.

3. As the spouse of a non-resident elector if your spouse owns or rents property in the municipality or municipalities other than the one where you live.

Of note: neither you nor your spouse qualify as a non-resident elector if you do not personally own or rent the property in the municipality. For example, if the property is owned by your business or your cottage is owned by a trust, you would not qualify as a non-resident elector.

Eligible electors are entitled to one vote during the Municipal Election. For clarity, as South Huron is divided into wards, an elector is entitled to vote only in the ward where they reside, even if they reside in one ward but are also an owner or tenant of land in a different ward,  or is the spouse of an owner or tenant of land in a different ward.  

As outlined in the Municipal Elections Act, the following are prohibited from voting:

1. You are serving a sentence of imprisonment in a penal or correctional institution.
2. A corporation.
3. A person acting as executor or trustee or in any other representative capacity, except as a voting proxy in accordance with section 44.
4. A person who was convicted of the corrupt practice described in subsection 90 (3), if voting day in the current election is less than five years after voting day in the election in respect of which he or she was convicted

Voters list and how to update your information

Elections Ontario maintains the Permanent Register of Electors for Ontario, commonly known as the  Voters List. This list includes individuals who are eligible to vote in provincial and municipal elections across Ontario. 

You can use Elections Ontario's Voter Registration application to confirm, update, or add information if you: 

• have changed your name or address 
• own or rent a new property
• no longer own or rent a property
• want to remove your information from the Voters List

To check if you are on the List, or to update or add your name to the List, visit RegisterToVoteOn.ca or call 1-866-242-3025. 

Voting in Multiple Municipal Elections

If you or your spouse own or rent property in a municipality other than your primary residence, you may be eligible to vote in more than one municipal election.

For more information on updating your voter registration, removing a deceased person from the Register, or joining the Register of Future Voters, visit the Elections Ontario website.

Register of Future Voters

The Ontario Register of Future Voters allows eligible 16- and 17-year-olds to pre-register so they are automatically added to the Voters List when they turn 18. Visit RegisterToVoteON.ca to learn more about eligibility, identification requirements, and how to register as a future voter.

Students and Voter Registration

Students attending school away from home may be eligible to vote in multiple municipalities. If a student’s permanent residence and temporary student home are in different municipalities or a Territory Without Municipal Organization area, they can update or add their "home address" as their permanent family residence and list their student home as an additional property they, or their spouse, own or rent.

Updating Your School Support 

Property owners in Ontario must designate support for a school system, even if they do not have children or if their children do not currently attend school. This designation appears on your Property Assessment Notice.

To confirm or change your school support, visit the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) website. Changes for the 2026 Municipal Election must be submitted before June 1, 2026.