Information for Voters

Home/Governing/Elections/Information for Voters

Receive Email Updates...

Default Inteiror Banner

Are you on the voters' list?

In order to vote, you must be on the Voter's List.

To ensure that your name is on the list and all relevant information is correct, visit the Township office with proper identification (showing proof of identity and qualifying address) during regular office hours.

Who can vote?

You can vote in the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands' municipal election if you are:

a Canadian citizen
at least 18 years old
a resident in the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands
a non-resident of the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands but you or your spouse own or rent property in the Township
not prohibited from voting under any law

You may only vote once in the municipal election regardless of how many properties you own or rent in the Township. An owner or tenant of non-residential property, or his or her spouse, is not eligible to vote for a School Board Trustee.

Post-secondary students

If you are a student and consider your "home" to be the place where you live when you are not attending school, which means you plan on returning there, then you are eligible to vote in both your "home" municipality and in the municipality where you currently live while attending school.

Who cannot vote?

You cannot vote if you are:

a person serving a sentence of imprisonment in a penal or correctional institution
a corporation
a person acting as executor or trustee or in any other representative capacity
a person convicted of a corrupt practice for an election held within four years of voting day

Who can vote in a school board election?

In order to vote in a school board election you must be 18 years of age or older and a Canadian citizen. If you are a resident, property owner or tenant in the Township, you are eligible to vote for school board trustees. You are only allowed to vote for the same school board once.

If you are eligible to vote in a municipality because you are the owner or tenant (or spouse of an owner or tenant) of a commercial property, you are not eligible to vote for a school trustee.

There are four different kinds of school boards in Ontario:

English-language public school board

This is the default - unless you are qualified to vote for a separate or French board, you will vote for the English public school board in your area.

English-language separate school board

You must be Roman Catholic and you must be a separate school board supporter or the spouse of a separate school board supporter. If your spouse is a Roman Catholic and you are not, you are not eligible to vote for the board.

French-language public school board

You must be a French language rights holder and you must be a supporter (or the spouse of a supporter) of the French language public school board.

French-language separate school board

You must be a Roman Catholic and a French language rights holder and you must be a supporter (or the spouse of a supporter) of the French separate school board. If your spouse is a Roman Catholic and you are not, you are not eligible to vote for the board.

"Supporter" refers to which school board the school portion of your property taxes goes to. The default is the public school system. In order to be a separate school supporter you must direct your taxes to the separate school system. Contact the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (1-866-296-6722) for more information.

Offices to be elected

In the municipal election, members are elected for a 4-year period for the following offices:

Township Council

Mayor (one is elected by all electors of the municipality)
Councillor (six to be elected by Ward)

School Board Trustees

English District School Board (one to be elected by public school electors of the municipality)
English District Separate School Board (one to be elected by separate school electors of the municipality)
French-Language District School Board (one to be elected by French-language electors within the municipality)
French-Language District Separate School Board (one to be elected by French-language separate school electors)

Voter Instruction Letters

As we approach Voting Day, eligible voters should expect to receive a Voter Information Letter in the mail via Canada Post, which will include the following:

Instructions on how to vote using the internet or telephone
Unique PIN allowing each voter to vote once
Dates and hours of voting
Locations and phone numbers of the Voter Help Centre