Mark your calenders, election day is set for MOnday, October 26
On Monday, Oct. 26, voters will head to the polls to elect a mayor, 10 ward councillors and eight school board trustees for the next municipal term.
Students living in Brantford while attending Wilfrid Laurier University may also be eligible to vote in the city, even if they consider another Ontario municipality in their permanent home.
Brantford elects one mayor through a citywide vote. The mayor serves as head of council and represents the city when dealing with other levels of government.
The city is also divided into five wards, with voters electing two councillors from each ward. The 10 councillors participate in decisions including the approval of municipal bylaws and the city budget while representing residents within their wards.
Residents can only vote for councillor candidates running in the ward where they are eligible to vote.
Laurier’s Brantford campus is located in Ward 5. At the time of writing, five candidates had filed nominations for the two Ward 5 council seats. The city is scheduled to certify eligible candidates Aug. 24.
The mayoral race also remains subject to final certification. At the time of writing, there were six mayoral hopefuls in Brantford. Candidate nominations close Aug. 21 before the city certifies nomination papers Aug. 24.
School board trustee elections will also appear on eligible voters’ ballots, but the number of trustees that a person can vote for depends on their tax support.
For Laurier students, living away from home does not necessarily prevent them from participating in the municipal election. Ontario has a special residency rule for students who temporarily live in another municipality while attending school. Students who consider the place they live when they are not attending school to be their home and intend to return there can be eligible to vote in both their home municipality and the municipality where they live while studying.
To vote in Brantford, a person must be a Canadian citizen, at least 18 years old and either live in the city or otherwise qualify as an owner or tenant of land in Brantford or the spouse of an owner or tenant. They must also not be prohibited from voting under provincial law.
After Aug. 12, voters can register to vote in person at Brantford City Hall on 58 Dalhousie St. The city said voters must provide proof of identity and residency. Accepted documents include leases or rental agreements, bank statements and documents issued by a post-secondary institution showing campus residence.
Online voting will run from 10 a.m. Oct. 13 until 8 p.m. Oct. 26. Advance in-person voting will take place from Oct. 15 to 18 at City Hall and the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre. Both advance voting locations will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
On election day, Oct. 26, polling locations will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters can use the City of Brantford’s online ward finder to determine which ward they live in and find additional election information on the city’s website.
The full list of all candidates can be found at https://www.brantford.ca/your-government/municipal-election/candidates/
To find your ward, go to https://form.brantford.ca/Living-Here/Find-My-Ward
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