Municipal Elections

Municipal Elections

Municipal Elections are held in every municipality in Ontario every four years on the fourth Monday of October.  The next Municipal Election will be held on Monday, October 25, 2010.

The Director Staff Services/Clerk, Laura Moy, is responsible for conducting municipal elections.

The Town is divided into 4 wards.  On Voting Day, qualified electors may vote for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor.  Electors may only vote for the Councillor representative(s) for the Ward in which they reside.

School Board Trustees

Electors may also vote for one of the following school board trustees based on their eligible school support:

• Greater Essex County District School Board
• Conseil scolaire de district du Centre Sud-Ouest
• Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board
• Conseil scolaire de district des écoles catholiques due Sud-Ouest  

Voter Eligibility

To vote in the municipal election, you must be a qualified elector.  That means, on Voting Day you must be:

• a resident of the Town of Tecumseh, or an owner or tenant of the land in the Town, or the spouse of such an owner or tenant;
• a Canadian citizen;
• at least 18 years old; and
• not prohibited from voting by law.

The Municipal Elections Act, 1996 prohibits the following individuals from voting:

• any person who is not qualified;
• a person who is serving a sentence or imprisonment in a penal or correctional institution;
• a corporation;
• a person acting as an executor or trustee;
• a person who has been convicted of corrupt practices under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 in the last four years; and
• anyone who is prohibited by law from voting.

2006 Election Results

Nominations
In accordance with Section 33(4) of the Municipal Elections Act, a nomination may be filed on any day in the year of the regular election that is before Nomination Day, at a time when the Clerk’s office is open; or on Nomination Day, Friday, September 10, 2010, between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

A person may be nominated for an office by filing a Nomination Paper–Form 1 in the Clerk’s office, in person or by an agent. A Nomination must be in the prescribed Form 1 and accompanied by the prescribed form of Declaration of Qualification. The Nomination Paper must have original signatures and may not be faxed, mailed or emailed. Both forms are to be signed by the person being nominated and must be accompanied by the set nomination filing fee.

The Form 1 and Declaration are available below and in the Clerk’s Department.

All candidates will be required to provide picture proof of identification (ie: Driver’s License) at the time of filing a nomination. Proof of identification is required to verify each applicant’s identity and to prevent false representation. Identification is being required of all candidates for consistency and equity. A copy of each candidate’s picture identification will be retained with their respective Nomination forms.

Nomination Fee

The nomination filing fees are to be paid in cash, certified cheque or money order, made payable to the Town of Tecumseh. The filing fees are:

Expenses
An expense shall not be incurred by or on behalf of a person unless he or she is a candidate and shall not be incurred by or on behalf of a candidate outside his or her election campaign period. A candidate’s campaign period begins on the day his/her nomination is filed and ends on Voting Day, Monday, October 25, 2010.

During the campaign period, a candidate’s expenses shall not exceed an amount calculated in accordance within the spending limits provided under the Municipal Elections Act, as follows:

For candidates seeking a Councillor Ward office, the number of electors in the ward will be used in the formula to calculate his or her spending limit.

Candidates will receive an initial spending limit estimate when filing their nomination, and will receive a final spending limit after the close of nominations. Whichever of these two amounts is higher becomes the candidate’s official spending limit.

Candidates Guide
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has developed an Election Guide for Candidates. This publication serves as a guide to the electoral process for Ontario's municipal councils and school boards. The Municipal Elections 2010 Guide also describes the overall responsibilities of both candidates and voters.

The Association of Municipal Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario has developed a Candidates Guide to Accessible Elections.

Both Guides are provided below. The Guides will be given to persons when obtaining a Nomination Paper Form 1 and Declaration of Qualification from Clerk’s Office.

Candidate Qualifications

Municipal Office

A candidate for Municipal Office must, upon nomination, be a qualified municipal elector and fulfil all of the following requirements:

• 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;
• a Canadian citizen;
• at least 18 years old;
• not legally prohibited from voting; and
• not disqualified by any legislation from holding municipal office.

A candidate, if nominated, must remain qualified throughout the election and, if elected, throughout the term of office.

The following persons are disqualified from being elected to a Municipal Office:

• any person not eligible to vote in the municipality;
• an employee of a municipality unless he or she
      - takes an unpaid leave of absence before being nominated, and
      - resigns, if elected to the office;
• a judge of any court;
• a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, a Senator or a member of the House of Commons; or
• an inmate of a penal or correctional institution under sentence of imprisonment.

 School Board Office

A candidate for a School Board must, upon nomination, be a qualified municipal elector and fulfil all of the following requirements:

• a resident within the jurisdiction of the board;
• a supporter of the board;
• a Canadian citizen;
• at least 18 years old;
• Roman Catholic (if running for a separate school board);
• not legally prohibited from voting; and
• not disqualified by any legislation from holding school board office.

A candidate for the School Board, if nominated, must remain qualified throughout the election and, if elected, throughout the term of office. School Board candidates should confirm that they have the qualifications described in section 219 of the Education Act.

A candidate for a School Board Office cannot be a Clerk, Deputy Clerk, Treasurer or Deputy Treasurer of a municipality within the jurisdiction of a Board.

The following persons are disqualified from being elected to a School Board Office:

• any person not eligible to vote in the municipality;
• an employee of a school board unless he or she
     - takes an unpaid leave of absence before being nominated, and
     - resigns, if elected to the office;
• a judge of any court;
• a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, a Senator or a member of the House of Commons; or
• an inmate of a penal or correctional institution under sentence of imprisonment.

Despite the above disqualification, MPs, MPPs and Senators may be nominated for Municipal or School Board Office without having to resign their current seat in Parliament, the Legislature or the Senate. However, by 2:00 p.m. on Nomination Day, MPs, MPPs and Senators are required to resign their current seat should they wish to continue to seek a Municipal or School Board office. Federal or Provincial Cabinet Ministers must step down from Cabinet prior to filing their nomination, and resign their seat by Nomination Day. If an MP, MPP or Senator does not resign prior to the close of nominations, their nomination will be rejected.

For more information, kindly contact the Clerk's Office.

Unofficial Nominations

Candidate's Nomination Package