FAQ's

The 2026 municipal elections are being held over 8 days ending on Monday, October 26, 2026 at 8pm. Hastings Highlands electors should receive a Voter Information Letter in the mail in the by October 9th for the election.

The voting period begins on October 19th at 10:00 a.m. and ends on October 26th at 8:00 p.m.

You can vote if you are:

• A Canadian citizen; and

• At least 18 years old; and

• A resident of Hastings Highlands; or

• A non-resident of Hastings Highlands, but you or your spouse own or rent property in the municipality; and

• Are not prohibited from voting under any law

You are prohibited from voting on voting day 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 another representative capacity, except as a voting proxy
• A person convicted of a corrupt practice for an election held within 5 years of voting day

No. You can vote only once for the offices of Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Councillor and School Board Trustee. Your qualifying address, where your name will be on the voters’ list, will be determined by your primary residence.

Yes. Qualified electors may vote in each municipality in Ontario that they qualify as an elector, however they may only vote for each office once.

Yes. Qualified electors may vote in each municipality in Ontario that they own property. If you are an owner of a property (or their spouse), you may qualify as an elector, and you will receive a Voter Information Letter in the mail so that you can vote from your home.

Trailer owners in campgrounds are tenants of the campground; therefore they are potentially eligible electors.

Under a timeshare contract, to be eligible, the person must be able to prove that they are entitled to use the land in Hastings Highlands on Election Day (October 26), or for a period of six weeks or more during the calendar year in which the election is held.

No. You must complete the voting by either Telephone or Internet on your own. That being said, you may offer assistance to friends and family, with their permission, but ultimately the secrecy of the ballot is paramount, and you must not interfere with the voting process. Voting assistance will be available during the voting period at the Voter Help Centre during regular office hours and at pop-up locations.

Note: It is an offence to utilize another elector's PIN number and thereby vote multiple times.

The Hastings Highlands Voters’ List is compiled and supplied by the Elections Ontario using the province‑wide Permanent Register of Electors. You can check electronically if you're on the Voters' List, and  register online if you're not.

Everyone can now check to see if they are on the Voters' List at the Elections Ontario website.

After September 1, 2026 please contact the Municipal Office.

By Phone:

Contact the Municipal Clerk's Office at 613-338-2811 ext. 277 or 211 or by email at [email protected] Provide us with your name and address, and we will send you an Application to Add or Amend the Voters’ List form. However, If you can physically come to the Municipal Office that is best.

In Person:

You can fill out a form at the Revisions Centre at the Municipal Office to get on the Voters' List with the acceptable identification (see below).

Note:  We encourage you to get any required changes to us as soon as possible so that we can make sure your name and correct personal information gets on the final, printed version of the voters’ list and so you will receive your Voter Information Letter with the initial mailing and avoid delays in receiving your Voter Instruction Letter.

No. Under Ontario’s Municipal Elections Act, the Municipal Clerk can only provide copies of the voters’ list to the following:

On written request, the Clerk shall provide a copy of the Voters’ List to, [Section 23 (3)]

You can check at the Revisions Centre at the Municipal Office in Maynooth and ask if you are on the list. You cannot use the voters’ list to obtain information on other electors.

You can however check your information online on the Voters' List webpage.

If you are not on the Voters' List, you may be added to the list until 8:00 p.m. on Monday, October 26, 2026 by providing the following ID to the Revisions Centre at the Municipal Office before October 19th or at the Voter Help Centre during the Voting Period.

1. An Ontario driver’s licence.

2. An Ontario Health Card (photo card).

3. An Ontario Photo Card.

4. An Ontario motor vehicle permit (vehicle portion).

5. A cancelled personalized cheque.

6. A mortgage statement, lease or rental agreement relating to property in Ontario.

7. An insurance policy or insurance statement.

8. A loan agreement or other financial agreement with a financial institution.

9. A document issued or certified by a court in Ontario.

10. Any other document from the government of Canada, Ontario or a municipality in Ontario or from an agency of such a government.

11. Any document from a Band Council in Ontario established under the Indian Act (Canada).

12. An income tax assessment notice.

13. A Child Tax Benefit Statement.

14. A Statement of Employment Insurance Benefits Paid T4E.

15. A Statement of Old Age Security T4A (OAS).

16. A Statement of Canada Pension Plan Benefits T4A (P).

17. A Canada Pension Plan Statement of Contributions.

18. A Statement of Direct Deposit for Ontario Works.

19. A Statement of Direct Deposit for Ontario Disability Support Program.

20. A Workplace Safety and Insurance Board Statement of Benefits T5007.

21. A property tax assessment.

22. A credit card statement, bank account statement, or RRSP, RRIF, RHOSP or T5 statement.

23. A CNIB Card or a card from another registered charitable organization that provides services to persons with disabilities.

24. A hospital card or record.

25. A document showing campus residence, issued by the office or officials responsible for student residence at a post-secondary institution.

26. A document showing residence at a long-term care home under the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021, issued by the Administrator for the home.

27. A utility bill for hydro, water, gas, telephone or cable TV or a bill from a public utilities commission.

28. A cheque stub, T4 statement or pay receipt issued by an employer.

29. A transcript or report card from a post-secondary school.

Letters will be mailed in late September/early October. You should receive your Voter Information Letter by October 9, 2026.

Should an eligible voter receive more than one Voter Information Letter, the eligible voter may only vote once and must return the other Voter Information Letter(s) to the municipal Revision Centre and complete FORM EL 15 to remove the duplicate name(s).

All electors who vote more than once or who improperly use a Voter Information Letter shall be reported to the Police for further investigation as to possible corrupt practices under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996.

The municipality cannot host 'All Candidates' debates. The must maintain political neutrality during the Municipal Election.

The Municipal Elections Act, 1996 does not require candidate debates to be held, and the Municipal Clerk is not responsible for organizing meetings or debates. Debates may be organized by community groups, media outlets, candidates or any other interested persons. They may establish criteria for who will participate at their own discretion.

An ‘All-Candidates’ event or debate, involving Candidates in a municipal election for one or more specific office(s), that is organized by non-partisan, individuals or organizations may be held at a Municipal property, subject to the consent of the Clerk, and provided that the necessary rental agreements have been secured by the event organizer.

The Municipality will not host or organize any ‘All-Candidates’ events or debates for Municipal election candidates. 

Please see our Use of Corporate Resources for Election Purposes policy.

There are many advantages to adopting this method of voting:

Efficiency: reduces printing, return postage fees, staff time for vote counting, and the amount of paper utilized.

Accessibility: Electronic Voting is a convenient option for electors allowing them to use their own devices and access their ballots anytime during the voting period, and from anywhere with network access.

Accuracy: Electronic voting uses electronic ballots exclusively reducing counting error from manual tabulations and hand counting;

Automatic Tabulation: 100% of the results will be available within the hour after 8pm on Election Day, once all voters have completed their voting.

Convenience: Many of Hastings Highlands non-resident electors do not live in Hastings Highlands, and therefore should be given the equal opportunity to vote as those who live here. Every elector will be able to vote from a location of their convenience. Also, compared to mail-in voting from years past, voters will no longer need to find a postal box, or rely on the postal service to ensure their ballot returned back to the Municipal Office.

We call it the Voting Period.

The Voter Help Centre in Emond Hall at the Municipal Office will be open from October 19, 2026 at 10:00 am until 8:00 pm on Election Day on October 26, 2026.

Oct. 19                       10:00AM to 4:00PM 
Oct. 20, 21, 22             9:00AM to 4:00PM
Oct. 23                         9:00AM to 7:00PM
Oct. 24                         9:00AM to 1:00PM
Oct. 26                         9:00AM to 8:00PM

There will also be Pop-Up Locations for voting if you have a Voter Information Letter with you.

Oct. 20  9:00AM to 12:00PM
Monteagle Fire Station Parking Lot
3205 Musclow-Greenview Rd. Monteagle Valley

Oct. 21   9:00AM to 12:00PM
Lake St. Peter Community Centre Parking Lot
5 Boulter Lake Rd, Lake St. Peter

Oct. 22   9:00AM to 12:00PM
Herschel Rink Parking Lot
168 S. Baptiste Lake Rd, Birds Creek

Placement of election signs whether for municipal, provincial and federal elections must be in accordance with the Municipality’s Election Sign Bylaw.

It states: No person shall affix, erect or otherwise display an election sign or permit an election sign to be erected affixed or otherwise displayed prior to the issuance of writs for a provincial or federal election or no earlier than the set nomination day of a municipal election;

Therefore signs may start going up after 2pm on August 21, 2026

Maximum Contributions to Candidates (Section 88.9 of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996) 

A contributor shall not make contributions exceeding a total of:

• $1,200 to any one Candidate in an election;
• Except if a person is a Candidate for more than one office a contributor’s total contributions to that Candidate in respect of all the offices shall not exceed $1,200;
• $5,000 to two or more candidates for office on the same council or local board;

Except if the candidate is contributing to the Candidates own election campaign, then the maximum contributions do not apply;

Except if the contributor is the spouse of the Candidate, then the maximum contributions do not apply.

The Clerk shall provide the “Contributions to Registered Candidates" form at the time of filing.

Maximum Contributions to Registered Third Parties (Section 88.13 Municipal Elections Act, 1996)

A contributor shall not make contributions in relation to third party advertisements exceeding a total of:

•  $750 to a registered third party that appears during an election in a municipality;
• $5,000 to two or more third parties registered in the same municipality;

Except if the third party is contributing to itself, then the maximum contributions do not apply;

 Except if the contributor is the spouse of an individual that is a registered third party, and then the maximum contributions do not apply.

The Clerk shall provide the “Contributions to Registered Third Parties” form at the time of filing. 

In accordance with the Election Sign Bylaw 2017-103:

2.4  No person or third person advertiser shall affix, erect, display, repair or alter or cause or permit to be affixed, erected, displayed repaired or altered an election sign displaying The Corporation of the Municipality of Hastings Highlands logo, crest or seal; 

And in accordance to Bylaw 2022-013 a Policy for the Use of Corporate Resources for Election Purposes on April 6, 2022:

9.    Use of Municipal Logo and Identifiers
The Municipality’s brand, logos and identifiers are owned by the Municipality of Hastings Highlands. Use of a video, photo, logo, crest, coat of arms, slogan, mission/vision/guiding principles or identifier for which the Municipality has proprietary rights, including municipal election logos (e.g. ‘Hastings Highlands Votes’ logo), in any capacity, is strictly prohibited.

The Revision Centre/Voter Help Centre is located at 33011 Highway 62N in Maynooth.

Before the Voting Period begins on October 19, 2026 please call the Clerk's Department at 613-338-2811 ext 277 and 211.

You should contact our Elections Help Line during the Voting Period which is October 19-26, 2026. (number to be posted soon).Please leave a message if there is no answer and an Elections Assistant will return your call as soon as possible.

or email at any time:

[email protected]

The name as it appears on the Nomination Paper is the name to be used on the ballot. If a nickname is to be used, it must appear on the Nomination Paper.

 Yes—before the nomination deadline. A candidate must withdraw their original nomination and file a new nomination for the other office no later than 2:00 p.m. on nomination day. After the deadline, changes aren’t permitted. (Source: Ontario’s Municipal Elections Act, 1996 and the Provincial Candidates’ Guide.)

WITHDRAWAL OF NOMINATION PAPERS (SECTION 36)

Candidates or their agents may withdraw their Nomination by filing in person a withdrawal in writing on “Withdrawal of Nomination” Form with the Clerk before 2:00 p.m. on Nomination Day, Friday, August 21, 2026, if the person was nominated on or before Nomination Day; and before 2:00 p.m. on the Wednesday following Nomination Day, (August 21, 2026), if the person was nominated under Section 33(5) - Additional Nominations.

The withdrawal shall be noted on the “Unofficial List of Candidates” Form.

Candidates should read the Municipal Elections Act Section 88.19 to understand what is or is not a campaign expense, and what might or might not count towards the Maximum Expenditures limits. Candidates may view filed financial statements from previous Municipal Election Campaigns to compare previous candidate practice However, candidates should always refer to the Municipal Elections Act to ensure compliance with the 2026 regulations.

Municipal candidates in Ontario can claim most costs necessary to run their campaign, including advertising, materials, office operations, professional services, and event-related expenses—as long as they occur within the campaign period and are paid from the campaign bank account. Some expenses are exempt from spending limits, while others (like the nomination fee) cannot be claimed at all.

Any taxes such as HST paid on purchases should be included in the amount of the expense.

To obtain additional copies of the Candidates' Guide, please contact the Municipal Clerk's office at [email protected] or by calling 613-338-2811 ext 277 or 211.