Voters

The next municipal election will be held on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, with voting hours from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Advance Voting will take place on the following dates:

  • Friday, Oct.16, 2026
  • Saturday, Oct.17, 2026

Internet Voting will be open from Wednesday, Oct. 14, to Monday, Oct. 26, 2026.

Who can vote?

You can vote in Kingston's municipal election if you are:

  • A Canadian citizen and
  • At least 18 years old and
  • Live in Kingston, or you (or your spouse) own or rent property here and
  • Not prevented from voting by any law

Types of voters

Resident - If you live in Kingston, you can vote here. It doesn't matter if you own, rent, live with others and don't pay rent, or don't have a fixed address - you're still eligible. Even if you or your spouse owns or rents more than one property, you have to vote in the district where you live.

Non-resident - If you live in one place but own or rent property somewhere else (like Kingston), you can vote in both places. You can only be a 'resident elector' in one municipality, but you can be a 'non-resident elector' in any other place where you own or rent property.

Spouse of non-resident - If your spouse can vote in Kingston as a non-resident elector, you can vote here too.

Note: You or your spouse do not qualify as a non-resident elector if you don't own or rent property in Kingston. For example, if your business owns the property or your cottage is owned by a trust, you can't vote in the municipal election.

Who cannot vote

You can't vote in Kingston's municipal election if you are:

  • Serving a jail or prison sentence
  • A corporation
  • Acting as an executor, trustee, or in another role for someone else (unless you're a voting proxy)
  • Someone convicted of corrupt practices as described in section 90(3) of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996

Post-secondary students

If you're a student living away from home for school, you are considered a non-resident voter and can vote in both your home community (where you usually live and plan to return) and the city where you live while at school.

If you're a student living in Kingston and can't vote in person, you can ask someone else to vote on your behalf as your proxy.

The Voters' List

The Voters' List is a list of people who can vote in the City of Kingston election. Elections Ontario gives the City an early version of this list, and then the City Clerk updates it to make sure it's correct.

To vote easily, make sure your name is on the Voters' List. You can check this with Elections Ontario's Register to Vote tool. If you're on the list, you'll get a Voter Information Notice before Election Day, with details for voting in person or online. If you're not on the list, you can apply to have your name added until August 13, 2026.

Starting September 1, 2026, you can update your info on the Voters' List by contacting the City's Election Office. More details will be provided at that time.

School Board Support

You can vote for one of four school board trustees during the municipal election: 

  • English public
  • English separate (Catholic)
  • French public
  • French separate (Catholic)

The default school board for electors is the English public board. To confirm or change your school board support on the Voters' List, visit the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation website before June 1, 2026.  

The Voter Card

Everyone on the Voters' List gets a Voter Card. Your card tells you where and when to vote, and gives you a voter ID number for online voting. It also lists early voting days and Election Day details. Bring your Voter Card with you to vote and a piece of ID - it helps things go faster.

When voting in person, you must show one of the following documents with your name and current address:

  • Ontario Driver's Licence
  • Ontario Health Card (photo card)
  • Ontario Photo Card
  • Ontario motor vehicle permit (vehicle portion)
  • Cancelled personalized cheque
  • Mortgage statement, lease or rental agreement relating to property in Ontario
  • Insurance policy or insurance statement
  • Loan agreement or other financial agreement with a financial institution
  • Document issued or certified by a court in Ontario
  • Any other document from the government of Canada, Ontario or a municipality in Ontario or from an agency of such a government
  • Any document from a Band Council in Ontario established under the Indian Act (Canada)
  • Income Tax Assessment Notice
  • Child Tax Benefit Statement
  • Statement of Employment Insurance Benefits Paid T4E
  • Statement of Old Age Security T4A (OAS)
  • Statement of Canada Pension Plan Benefits T4A (P)
  • Canada Pension Plan Statement of Contributions
  • Statement of Direct Deposit for Ontario Works
  • Statement of Direct Deposit for Ontario Disability Support Program
  • Workplace Safety and Insurance Board Statement of Benefits T5007
  • Property tax assessment
  • Credit card statement, bank account statement, or RRSP, RRIF, RHOSP or T5 statement
  • CNIB Card or a card from another registered charitable organization that provides services to persons with disabilities
  • Hospital card or record
  • Document showing campus residence, issued by the office or officials responsible for student residence at a post-secondary institution
  • Document showing residence at a long-term care home under the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021, issued by the Administrator for the home
  • Utility bill for hydro, water, gas, telephone or cable TV or a bill from a public utilities commission
  • Cheque stub, T4 statement or pay receipt issued by an employer
  • Transcript or report card from a post-secondary school

Voting locations

We'll share where you can vote as Election Day gets closer. Some locations, like those in retirement or long-term care homes, will have shorter voting hours and will be available to people who live there.

Online voting

Online voting is secure and confidential. Our internet voting system, managed by Voatz Canada Ltd., uses advanced security measures, including two-factor authentication, to protect your voter information and privacy. The voting platform is hosted on secure servers in Canada and complies with the Digital Governance Standards Institute's technical requirements and best practices for online voting.

If you vote online in Kingston, you’ll use the Voatz website on your computer or the mobile browser on your phone.

More details about online voting will be available closer to Voting Day.

Accessible voting

All voting locations on Advance Voting Day and Voting Day have accessible voting equipment. This lets you vote privately and on your own.

These features include a touch screen, keypad buttons with Braille and printed labels, and an audio option. With these, you can mark the same type of ballot as everyone else.

Free transportation to voting places

You can ride Kingston Transit and Kingston Access Bus for free on Advance Voting Days and Voting Day from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. If you take Kingston Transit, show your Voter Card on your way to and from your voting place.

Residents who are signed up for Kingston Access Bus can get free rides. When you book your trip, you'll need to say which voting place you're going to.

Proxy Voting

If you can't vote in person for any reason, you can ask someone you trust to vote for you. This person is called your voting proxy.

Anyone listed on the voters' list (or added to it later) can use a proxy. As long as you're on the list, you can have someone vote for you. Note that:

  • You can only pick one person to be your proxy
  • The person you choose must be eligible to vote in the election

By law, someone can only be a proxy for one person who isn't a family member. If you pick a close family member (like a parent, child, sibling, grandparent, or grandchild), they can be a proxy for more than one family member. If you can vote in more than one city, you can still only be a proxy for one non-relative.

Note: The person who witnesses your signature cannot be the same person you appoint as your proxy.

To assign a proxy for yourself, you must follow these steps:

  • You and your proxy need to fill out two copies of the Voting Proxy form (Form 3).
  • Your proxy must take both forms to the City Clerk's Office at City Hall, 216 Ontario Street, during regular hours (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), from noon to 5 p.m. on Advance Voting Days (Oct 16 and 17), or before 5 p.m. on Voting Day (Oct 26).
  • We will check that both you and your proxy are eligible to vote. Your proxy will need to show ID to finish the form. We will keep one copy of the form and give the other to your proxy.
  • We will record your name and your proxy's name in their system. This makes sure no one is a proxy for more than one non-family member.
  • You can't appoint a proxy until after August 21, 2026, once nominations are final and the City Clerk has confirmed all candidates.

The following items are required to vote as a proxy for another person:

  • Original Appointment for Voting Proxy form (Form 3)
  • Proof of identity (see the list of accepted IDs above)

Campaign contributions

If you live in Ontario, you can give money, goods, or services to a Candidate's or Third Party's campaign. You don't get a tax break for these contributions.

If you give more than $25, it cannot be in cash. It must be made in a manner, such as a cheque or money order, that links the donation to the name of the person who made it.

Contribute to a Candidate's campaign

You can give up to $1,200 to one candidate. This total counts both money and the value of anything you donate. You can't give more than $5,000 overall to all candidates running for the same council or school board. 

For more details, check the Candidates section and the document called “Campaign Contributions and Expenses.”

Contribute to a Third Party Advertiser's campaign

You can give up to $1,200 to any one third-party advertiser, and no more than $5,000 total to all third party advertisers in Kingston. 

For more info, check the Third Party Advertisers section.

Contact Us

City of Kingston
City Hall
216 Ontario Street
Kingston, ON K7L 2Z3
Canada
contactus@cityofkingston.ca
Phone: 613-546-0000

The City of Kingston acknowledges that we are on the traditional homeland of the Anishinabek, Haudenosaunee, and the Huron-Wendat, and thanks these nations for their care and stewardship over this shared land.

Today, the City is committed to working with Indigenous peoples and all residents to pursue a united path of reconciliation.

Learn more about the City's reconciliation initiatives.