Questions & Answers For Voters
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PUBLIC NOTICE
Check to make sure your name is on the Voters' list at one of these locations.
RELATED LINK
See what documents qualify as proof of identity and residence under the Municipal Elections Act.
QUESTIONS:
When are the 2010 Municipal Elections?
How many electors voted in the 2006 municipal election?
Do I need to show identification in order to vote?
What offices will the City's electors be voting for?
Am I registered to vote? Where can I see the Voters' List?
How can I get my name put on the Voters' List or update my personal information?
What if my name is not on the Voters' List when I go to vote?
If my spouse died recently, how do I remove his or her name from the Voters' List?
If I own more than one property in Kingston, can I vote more than once?
Can a person who is homeless or who has no fixed address vote?
Can someone else vote on my behalf?
What special provisions are in place to accommodate voters with special needs?
Where can I get district maps?
How can I get in touch with a candidate, or find out about his or her election platform?
Who do I contact about working as an Election Official?
Where can I get election results?
ANSWERS:
Q: When are the 2010 Municipal Elections?
A: Voting Day is Monday, October 25, 2010. Polls are open between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Detailed information on poll locations, including advance dates and times will be available at a future date.
A: Voting in the municipal election gives you the best opportunity to make a difference in the future of your community. Councillors decide on how your property taxes are spent and what services the municipality will provide. Your school board trustees are responsible for administering building and maintenance of schools, hiring of teachers and staff and authorizing spending on educational programs and initiatives.
Q: How Many Electors Voted in the 2006 Municipal Election?
A: Voter turnout in the 2006 municipal election in Kingston was 38.028 out of 95,262 eligible voters, or 39.9%.
A: You can vote in the municipal election (or be an eligible elector) if, on voting day, you are:
- a Canadian citizen
- at least 18 years old
- a resident of the City of Kingston
- the owner or tenant of land in the City of Kingston, or a spouse of such a person
- not prohibited from voting by law
To vote in elections for a school board trustee, you must be:
- a Canadian citizen
- at least 18 years of age
- not have already voted in the election for school trustees elsewhere in the school board's area of jurisdiction reside in the City of Kingston or territory or is the owner or tenant of a residential property, or is the spouse of such owner or tenant
- is not otherwise prohibited from voting.
Please Note:
To vote in an English Language Public District School Board, an elector in addition to the above, must:
- be a supporter of the English language public district school board; or
- not be a supporter of any board, nor have qualified him or herself as an elector for a separate or French-language school board in the election.
To vote in an English Language Separate District School Board, an elector must be a Roman Catholic who must:
- qualify as an elector for the English language separate district school board; or
- be a supporter (or be the spouse of a supporter) of the English language separate district school board.
- qualify as an elector for the French language public district school board; or
- be a supporter (or the spouse of a supporter) of the French language public district school board.
To vote in a French Language Separate District School Board, an elector must be a Roman Catholic and a French language rights holder (see the Charter for criteria) who must:
- qualify as an elector for the French language separate district school board; or
- be a supporter (or the spouse of a supporter) of the French language separate district school board.
Q: Do I need to show identification in order to vote?
A:
The Municipal Elections Act requires that electors voting at a voting place must show identification prior to obtaining a ballot. The identification to be
presented must confirm their identity and place or residence. Photo ID is not required.
[VIEW THE VOTER IDENTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS IN
ONTARIO REGULATION 500/96]
A: You may not vote if you are:
- a person serving a sentence of imprisonment in a penal or correctional institute
- a corporation
- a person acting as executor or trustee in any other representative capacity, except as a voting proxy
- a person who was convicted of a corrupt practice, if voting day in the current election is less than four years after voting day in the election in respect of which she/he was convicted
- a person who does not reside or own property in Kingston
Q: Will there be advance voting?
A: You do not have to wait until Voting Day on October 25, 2010, to cast your vote. In the City of Kingston, you are encouraged to take advantage of Advance Voting Days.
Dates, times, and polling locations will be provided at a future date
You may vote only once, but you can choose to vote on any one of the Advance Voting Days at the time and location most convenient for you.
Q: What offices will the City's electors be voting for?
A: Eligible electors will be able to vote for the offices of Mayor, City Councillor and School Board Trustee.
- Mayor: elected at large by all electors
- Councillors: elected by the eligible voters of each district - one councillor for each of Kingston's 12 districts.
-
School Board Trustees: The board you are entitled to vote for is determined by your school support status, as shown on the Voters' List. Further notice will be
published once final representation has been confirmed for 2010. School boards having jurisdiction in the City of Kingston are the:
-
English Public - Limestone District School Board (5 trustees) Based on 2006 representation.
- Countryside, Pittsburgh, and Frontenac Islands
- Loyalist-Cataraqui, Collins-Bayridge, Lakeside
- Portsmouth and Trillium
- Cataraqui, Kingscourt-Strathcona and Kings Town
- Williamsville and Sydenham
- English Separate - Algonquin & Lakeshore Catholic District School Board (4 trustees at large)
- French Public - le Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario (1 trustee at large)
- French Separate - le Conseil des écoles catholiques de langue française du Centre-Est (1 trustee at large)
-
English Public - Limestone District School Board (5 trustees) Based on 2006 representation.
Q: Am I registered to vote? Where can I see the Voters' List?
A: The City of Kingston Voters' List is compiled from the Preliminary List of Electors we receive from Ontario's Municipal Property Assessment Corporation.
You are encouraged to ensure that your name appears correctly on the Voters' List before election day. You may view the voters list between September 7 and October 7 at Municipal Offices and/or all branches of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library. Please refer to the Notice of Voters' List for Voters' List locations and procedures for amending the Voters' List. If you discover your name is not on the list or that it needs to be changed, you will need to fill out an Application to Amend the Voters' List and submit it to the Election Office in City Hall, 216 Ontario St. prior to Voting Day.
Anyone not on the Voters' List can still be added at the poll on any Advance Voting Day or on October 25, providing the citizen has proper identification as specified in the Ontario Municipal Elections Act.
Q: How can I get my name put on the Voters' List or update my personal information?
A: Starting on Tuesday, September 7, 2010, you will have an opportunity to amend or change your personal information on the Voters' List. An Application to Amend the Voters' List form will be available wherever the Voters' List is on display. Just fill in the form and send it back to us. We will add your name to the Voters' List or update your information. Locations where you can view the Voters' List will be available at a later date.
Application to Amend the Voters' List forms will also be available at your voting place on Advance Voting Days. However, we encourage you to get these changes to us before the end of September, so we can make sure your name gets on the final, printed version of the Voters' List and so you'll be able to avoid any unnecessary delays on Voting Day.
Q: What if my name is not on the Voters' List when I go to vote?
A: If your name is not on the Voters' List when you go to vote, you must produce identification showing your address, swear an affidavit, and your name will be added to the list.
Q: If my spouse died recently, how do I remove his or her name from the Voters' List?
A: You must stop by the Election Office at City Hall, 216 Ontario Street, between Tuesday, September 7 and Friday, September 10, 2010, to fill out an Application to Remove another Person's Name from the Voters' List. We will then remove your spouse's name from the Voters' List.
Q: If I own more than one property in Kingston can I vote more than once?
A: You can vote only once for the offices of Mayor, Councillor and School Board Trustee. Your qualifying address will be determined by:
- your primary residence (where you live), if more than one property is owned within the city; or
- the commercial/industrial property you own or in which you are a tenant, if your primary residence is not within the city. However, you will not be eligible to vote for school board trustee based on your commercial/industrial property.
If you live in another municipality, but own property in the City of Kingston, you can vote in the City of Kingston election for the offices of Mayor and Councillor, but you are not eligible to vote for the office of School Board Trustee.
Q: Can a person who is homeless or who has no fixed address vote?
A: Eligible voters who are homeless, or without a permanent home or fixed address, can still vote. Their qualifying address will be determined by the place:
- to which they most frequently returned to sleep or eat during the five weeks prior to the election, since this is considered to be their residence; or
- where they returned to sleep, if they returned with equal frequency to one place to sleep and another to eat.
Q: Can someone else vote on my behalf?
A: If you are a qualified elector, but are unable to vote on October 25, 2010, or on an advance voting day, you can appoint a proxy. A proxy is a person who is an eligible voter and who you trust to vote on your behalf. To appoint a proxy, you must complete an Appointment of Voting Proxy form. The form must be witnessed by someone other than the person who is being appointed the proxy. Your proxy must bring the form to the Election Office, Kingston City Hall, 216 Ontario Street during regular business hours, along with proof of his or her identity, and have it certified by city election staff.
You can appoint a voting proxy starting on September 10, 2010, unless additional nominations are required. The deadline for proxy registration is 5:00 p.m. on Voting Day, October 25, 2010. A proxy can represent multiple members of his or her immediate family, but only one individual who is not a member of his or her immediate family.
A: Detailed information on poll locations, dates and times will be available at a future date.
Q: What special provisions are in place to accommodate voters with special needs?
A: An updated accessibility plan will be available in the fall. If you have any concerns, please contact the Election Office at City Hall, 216 Ontario Street. Telephone: 613-546-4291, extension 1247 or 1262.
Q: Where can I get City district maps?
A: City of Kingston district maps are available on this web site. See District Maps and Information.
A: You can view the Candidates List on this web site. The Candidates List is updated as candidates file their nomination papers. This list will not be final until the Clerk has certified the nominations. Pursuant to the Municipal Elections Act, certification will take place prior to 4:00 p.m. on September 13, 2010. See the Candidates List.
Q: How can I get in touch with a candidate, or find out about his or her election platform?
A: The City's Election Office does not maintain candidate contact information or a list of candidate meetings. Monitor your local media for candidate information.
Q: Who do I contact about working as an Election Official?
A: The City's Election Office will be placing a notice in the local newspapers and on the City's web site seeking interested members of the community that wish to apply for employment as an election official. Election Officials must be a minimum of 18 years of age and may not be a candidate or the spouse, sibling, parent or child, or grandparent or grandchild of a candidate running in the municipal election.
Q: Where can I get election results?
A: After October 25, 2010, unofficial election results will be available on this web site and through local media. The results are unofficial until declared by the Clerk of the City of Kingston.