Voter Information

An eligible voter is a person that is entitled to be an elector at an election held in a local municipality, if on voting day they are:

• a Canadian citizen;
• at least 18 years old;
• residing in the local municipality or an owner or tenant of land there, or the spouse of such owner or tenant; and
• not otherwise prohibited from voting.

The following individuals cannot vote in a municipal election:

• a person serving a sentence of imprisonment in a penal or correctional institution;
• a corporation; or
• a person convicted of a corrupt practice for an election held within four years of voting day.

A person who is acting as an executor or in any other representative capacity (e.g., power of attorney), cannot vote on behalf of the person they are representing unless they have been appointed as a voting proxy.

A voter is only entitled to vote once in a municipality and once in a school board even if the voter has more than one qualifying property address within the municipality or school board. As Otonabee-South Monaghan has wards, if you (the voter) reside in one ward but own properties in different wards, you may only vote in the ward where you reside. A voter may only have one permanent residence.

A student may vote in the municipality where he or she is temporarily residing while attending school as well as at his or her permanent home in a different municipality, provided that he or she does not intend to change his or her permanent home.

Electors can only vote once for a school board candidate in the school board jurisdiction. (e.g. an elector can get a ballot in multiple municipalities for the English Separate School Board Trustee for Peterborough County if they are an eligible voter in more than one municipality. The elector can only vote for the Trustee once) 

If a person has no permanent residence, then the following rules determine his or her residence:

1. The place in which the person most frequently returned to sleep or eat during the five weeks preceding the determination.
2. If the person returns with equal frequency to one place to sleep and another to eat, the place in which he or she sleeps.
3. Multiple returns to the same place during a single day, to eat or sleep, are considered to be one return.

A person's affidavit regarding the places to which he or she returned to eat or sleep during a given time period is conclusive, in the absence of evidence to the contrary.

• An Ontario driver's licence 
• An Ontario Health Card (photo card) 
• An Ontario Photo Card 
• An Ontario motor vehicle permit (vehicle portion) 
• A cancelled personalized cheque

Full list of Acceptable Identification

The Township developed an Elections Accessibility Plan in 2022 to ensure that electoral services are accessible to everyone – candidates, electors and staff. The Plan identifies ways the Township will eliminate barriers for persons of all abilities and create a positive electoral experience for everyone.  This Plan will be reviewed and updated for the 2026 Municipal Election. 

The municipality has rules in place about when signs can be put up, and how signs may be displayed on public property. These signs must adhere to the Township of Otonabee-South Monaghan, Peterborough County and Ministry of Transportation (MTO) sign By-laws.

Candidates are responsible for removing their signs after voting day and are strongly encouraged to place election signs on private property with the permission of the property owner. The Township has the authority to remove any signs deemed to cause a safety hazard.