Who Can Vote?

Voters' guide for Ontario Municipal Council and School Board Elections

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)

A person is entitled to be an elector at an election held in a local municipality if, on voting day, they,

• resides in the local municipality or is the owner or tenant of land there, or is the spouse of such owner or tenant;
• is a Canadian citizen;
• is at least 18 years old; and
• is not prohibited from voting under subsection (3) or otherwise by lawEligible voters for municipal elections must be: 

Voters' List and Voter Information

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

You can use Election Ontario's Voter Registration application to confirm, update, or add your 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 Register or Voters List

Register today by visiting RegisterToVoteON.ca or call 1-866-242-3025.

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.

Your school support designation matters. 
Review it by June 1, 2026 
So you’re ready to vote on October 26!

To ensure your correct school support designation is provided to Elections Ontario in time for the next municipal and school board elections on October 26, 2026, it should be reviewed and, if needed, updated by June 1, 2026. 

While Elections Ontario maintains the Permanent Register of Electors in Ontario for provincial, municipal, and school board elections, 

MPAC (Municipal Property Assessment Corporation) is legislatively responsible for collecting school support designation information.  

What is school support? 
Whether you own or rent your home, your property is linked to a school board – even if you don’t have children or your children aren’t currently attending school. While you’re not required to make a designation, you do have the option to choose which school board you support. If you don’t make a choice, your support will default to the English-Public school board.    

How to update school support designations
Property owners can change their school support designation online using MPAC AboutMyProperty™ or our online portal for tenants. To get started, choose the option that applies to you:  

• I am a property owner 
• I am a tenant 

A step-by-step guide is available in English or French. 

Please note: Registration may take up to 24 hours to activate. 

You can submit a paper Application for Direction of School Support form in English or French and mail or email it to MPAC. 

To learn more or update a school support designation, visit mpac.ca/schoolsupport. 

Thinking about running in the 2026 Municipal Election?

If you’re considering a run in the upcoming municipal election, don’t miss this valuable learning opportunity with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Virtual Workshop!

Dates:

• April 8, 2026 - 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.

Join experienced municipal leaders as they share strategies for:

• Crafting a clear and compelling message
• Building visibility in your community
• Gaining support and navigating the campaign process

For more details and registration, visit AMO's website.

The Role of Council

The Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has published a document called, "The Municipal Councillor's Guide." This guide provides an overview of the many duties and challenges elected officials at the municipal level face.

During the next municipal election, Morris-Turnberry voters will elect the following offices:

• Mayor 
• Municipal Councillors (4)
• School Board Trustees 

Mayor

The Municipal Councillor's Guide is the source of this abbreviated description for the role of head of Council, which in the Municipality of Morris-Turnberry is referred to as the Mayor:

• To act as the municipality's chief executive officer;
• To preside over council meetings such that business is carried out both efficiently and effectively;
• To provide leadership to the council;
• To provide information/recommendations to council on policies, practices, procedures, to ensure transparency and accountability; and,
• To represent the municipality at official functions

The Municipality of Morris-Turnberry does not have designated Strong Mayor powers at this time, with a council consisting of less then 6 members of council.

Councillors

This abbreviated description for the role of Councillor is based on the Municipal Councillor's Guide:

• To represent the public and to consider the well-being and interests of the municipality;
• To develop and evaluate the policies and programs of the municipality;
• To determine which services the municipality provides;
• To maintain the financial integrity of the municipality;
• To ensure that administrative policies practices are in place to implement the decisions of council; and,
• To ensure the accountability and transparency of the operations of the municipality.

Municipal Councillors also sit as members of a number of Advisory Committees. These committees provide Council with recommendations. As a member of municipal council, you would be required to attend meetings of the Committees on which you are a member, and also to attend meetings of the full Municipal Council.

Nominations:

• Nomination for the 2026 municipal election opens on Friday May 1, 2026. Nomination paperwork must be filed with the Clerk by 2:00 PM on Friday August 21, 2026. 
• Candidates are required to make an appointment to file their nomination as well as pay a fee of $100 ($200 for head of council) 
• Eligible candidates for municipal elections must be:
  • A Canadian citizen who is at least 18 years old
  • A resident of the municipality, a non-resident owner or tenant of land in the municipality, or the spouse of such non-resident owner or tenant
  • Not legally prohibited from voting and not disqualified by any legislation from holding municipal office. 

Navigating Conflict Relationships as an Elected Official 2026

This training is an opportunity to gain skills in building collaborative relationships and negotiating difficult ones in your role as an elected municipal official.

Elected officials run for municipal office for a variety of reasons which include providing leadership, stewardship and improving their local communities.  

However municipal life is very much a people-oriented business, meaning elected representatives must engage in and build a wide variety of relationships with constituents, municipal staff, other elected officials, other orders of government and community organizations to name a few.

Not all relationships are smooth sailing and conflicts are inevitable. Sometimes the waters become choppy especially when navigating challenging relationships and conflict situations.

Having conflict-free and collaborative relationships can play a significant role in helping locally elected officials carry out their collective responsibilities as decision-makers of their communities.

During this 2-part virtual, interactive workshop, we will explore the constructs, traps and pitfalls of conflict relationships, why relationships may go wrong and how to approach, plan and execute relationships successfully using practical tips, tools and real-world examples.

Dates:

• May 13 & 14, 2026, 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

For more information and to register, visit AMO's website.

Additional Resources:

• 2026 Candidates' guide for Ontario Municipal Council and School Board Elections
• Municipal Elections - Association of Municipalities of Ontario
• Lead Where You Live: a guide to running for municipal council - Association of Municipalities of Ontario
• Municipal Elections Act, 1996

What is third party advertising? 

A third party advertisement is a message in any broadcast, print, electronic or other medium that has the purpose of promoting, supporting or opposing:

• A candidate, or 
• A "yes" or "no" answer to a question on the ballot. 

Third party advertising does not include an advertisement: 

• Made by or under the direction of a candidate
• For which no expense is incurred 
• When it is transmitted by an individual to its employees, by a corporation to its shareholders, directors, members or employees, or by a trade union to its members or employees

Third party advertising does not include issues-based advertising so groups that do public outreach can continue their issues-based advocacy work throughout the municipal election period. 

Third party advertisers must register with the municipality before conducting advertising. 

2026 Third Party Advertisers' guide for Ontario Municipal Council and School Board Elections

Who can be a registered third party? 

Section 88.6 of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 states:

Only the following persons and entities are eligible to file a notice of registration to be a third party advertiser:

• An individual who is normally resident in Ontario
• A corporation that carries on business in Ontario
• A trade union that holds bargaining rights for employees in Ontario

The following persons and entities are not eligible to file a notice of registration:

• A nominated candidate
• A federal political party registered under the Canada Elections Act (Canada) or any federal constituency association or registered candidate at a federal election endorsed by that party
• A provincial political party, constituency association, registered candidate or leadership contestant registered under the Election Finances Act
• The Crown in right of Canada or Ontario, a municipality or local board

Registrations can be accepted by the Clerk or designate between the first day for filling nominations, Friday May 1, 2026, to Friday, October 23, 2026.