You can vote in Kingston's municipal election if you meet the following requirements:

• You are a Canadian citizen; and
• You are at least 18 years old; and
• You are a resident in the City of Kingston; or
• You are a non-resident of the City of Kingston, but you or your spouse own or rent property in the City; and
• You are not prohibited from voting under any law.

Resident Elector - If you live in the City of Kingston, then you are eligible to vote in Kingston's municipal election. You may own, rent, live in shared accommodation where you do not pay rent or live in the municipality but do not have a fixed address.  Regardless of the number of properties that you or your spouse own or rent, you must vote in the electoral district where you live. 

Non-Resident Elector - If you live in one municipality, and own or rent property in another municipality, you are eligible to vote in each municipality's election.  You can only be a resident elector in one municipality.  However, you can be a non-resident elector in any other municipality or municipalities where you own or rent property.

Spouse of a Non-Resident Elector - If your spouse qualifies as a non-resident elector in the City of Kingston you can also vote in Kingston's municipal election.

NOTE:  Neither you nor your spouse qualifies as a non-resident elector if you do not personally own or rent the property in Kingston.  For example, if the property is owned by your business or your cottage is owned by a trust, you would not qualify as a non-resident elector.

You are prohibited from voting in Kingston's municipal election if you are:

• a person serving a sentence of imprisonment in a penal or correctional institution;
• a corporation;
• a person acting as executor or trustee or in another representative capacity, except as a voting proxy;
• a person convicted of a corrupt practice described in section 90(3) of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996.

If for any reason, you are unable to personally cast your ballot in the municipal election you may appoint someone to go to the voting place and cast a ballot on your behalf.  This person is called your voting proxy.

Voting Proxy Procedure

Eligibility

• Any person whose name is on the voters' list or who has been added to the voters' list by revision may vote by proxy.  There are no limitations on who may vote by proxy provided they are on the voters' list.
• Not more than one voting proxy may be appointed on behalf of any one person.
• The person appointed as a voting proxy must be entitled to be an elector in the municipal election.

Appointment Restrictions

Under Section 44 of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 an elector may act as a voting proxy on behalf of only one qualified elector who is not a relative or one or more qualified electors who are relatives, using separate voting proxy forms for each.  A relative means the parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, brother, sister or spouse of the elector appointed.  Even if an elector is eligible to vote in more than one municipality he or she can only act as a voting proxy for one non-relative.

NOTE:  The witness to the signature of the elector making the appointment cannot be the same person as the elector being appointed.

Processing Procedure

• You and the person being appointed as your voting proxy must complete, in duplicate, an application in the prescribed form (Download Appointment for Voting Proxy – Form 3). The person appointed as the voting proxy shall bring both copies of the form in person to the City Clerk at the Election Office, 216 Ontario Street, City Hall, during normal office hours (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) or during the period from 10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Advance Voting Day (October 22, 2022) and before 5 p.m. on Voting Day (October 24, 2022).
• The City Clerk or his or her designate shall, if satisfied that the person who appointed the voting proxy is qualified to appoint a proxy and the person so appointed is qualified to act as a voting proxy, issue a certificate in the prescribed form. The voting proxy shall provide identification, in order to complete the affidavit on the form. The original of Form 3 shall then be given to the person appointed as the voting proxy and the copy is to be retained in the Election Office.
• The name of the person appointed as the voting proxy, together with the name of the elector making the appointment shall be recorded in the voting proxy database at the Election Office.  This will ensure that a person is unable to act as a voting proxy more than once for persons other than family members.

Time Frame

• The appointment of a voting proxy may only be made after the last date for the withdrawal of nominations (August 24, 2022, unless additional nominations are required) and the City Clerk has certified all persons qualified to be nominated.
• No application shall be approved by the City Clerk after 5:00 p.m. on Voting Day (October 24, 2022).
• Proxy forms can be distributed before 2 p.m. on August 24, 2022 but the forms shall not be approved until after August 24, 2022 and all candidates have been certified.

Things Needed at the Voting Place

• Original copy of the Appointment for Voting Proxy (Form 3); and
• Proof of identity.

There is a special rule for students who may be living away from home while they attend school. If you are a student and consider your "home" to be the place where you live when you are not attending school, which means you plan on returning there, then you are eligible to vote in both your "home" municipality and in the municipality where you currently live while attending school.

As a student and a resident of the City of Kingston, if you are unable to vote in the City of Kingston municipal election, you may appoint another elector as a proxy to vote on your behalf (please refer to the section below for more information about a voting proxy).

Resident elector

Your residence is where you live. If you live in a municipality, then you are eligible to vote in that municipality's election. You are only allowed to have one residence in a municipality.

Non-resident elector

If you live in one municipality, and own or rent property in another municipality, you are eligible to vote in each municipality's election. 

Spouse of a non-resident elector

If your spouse qualifies as a non-resident elector in a municipality, then you can also vote in that municipality's election.

In order to vote in a school board election you must meet the following requirements:

• You are 18 years of age or older;
• You are a Canadian citizen;
• You qualify to vote for that particular school board;
• You are a resident of the municipality, or the owner or tenant (or spouse of an owner of tenant) of residential property in the municipality.

NOTE: school boards can cover a large area of a municipality and may cover all or part of more than one municipality. You are only allowed to vote for a school board trustee that represents the municipality or area where you live and you may only vote for the same school board once.

If you are eligible to vote in Kingston because you are the owner or tenant (or spouse of an owner or tenant) of a commercial property there, you are not eligible to vote for a school board trustee.  

There are four different kinds of School Boards in Ontario:

English Language Public School Board

This is the default - unless you are qualified to vote for a separate or French board, you will vote for the English public school board in your area. 

English Language Separate School Board

You must be Roman Catholic, and you must be a separate school board supporter or the spouse of a separate school board supporter. If your spouse is a Roman Catholic and you are not, you are not eligible.

French Language Public School Board

You must be a French language rights holder, and you must be a supporter (or the spouse of a supporter) of the French language public school board.

French Language Separate School Board

You must be a Roman Catholic and a French language rights holder, and you must be a supporter (or the spouse of a supporter) of the French separate school board. If your spouse is a Roman Catholic and you are not, you are not eligible.

An Elector has French Language Education Rights under Section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms if they are a Canadian citizen and can answer "YES" to ONE of the following three questions:

1. Is French the language you first learned and still understand?
2. Did you receive your elementary school instruction in Canada in French?  (This does NOT include French immersion or French as a second language.)
3. Have any of your children received, or are they now receiving elementary or secondary school instruction in Canada in French?  (This does NOT include French immersion or French as a second language.)

Note: "Supporter" refers to which school board the school portion of your property taxes goes to. The default is the public school system. In order to be a separate school supporter you must direct your taxes to the separate school system. Use the Voter Services Portal to confirm your school support or make changes to your school support. You can also contact the Elections Office (613-546-4291, ext. 1430) for more information.

The Voters' List contains the names of all persons who are eligible to vote in the municipal election.  A Preliminary List of Electors is provided to the municipality by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC).  It is then the responsibility of the City Clerk to apply further changes or corrections based on information in the Clerk's care and control to create the Final Voters' List. 

Electors who are on the Voters' List will receive their Voter Information Notice a few weeks before Voting Day that provides the location of their voting place and their unique Voter Identification Number that will allow them to register and receive a PIN number in order to access the internet voting.  For in-person voting, the elector simply provides their Voter Information Notice and appropriate identification to a Deputy Returning Officer and they will be issued their ballot. 

The Voter Information Notice that every elector on the voters' list receives informs the elector where and when to vote and provides the unique voter identification number that is required to access internet voting. Listed on the notice are the Advance Voting Day and Voting Day dates and times. Receiving and bringing your Voter Information Notice to the voting place will speed up the voting process for all electors.

Two important items to remember to bring when you go to the voting place:

• Your Voter Information Notice; and
• An acceptable elector identification document as described below.

You must present one of the following documents showing your name and address from the acceptable documents for voter identification:

• 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 or 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 Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007, 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

Electors will be able to cast a ballot at one of six voting places in Kingston on the Advance Voting Days, Tuesday October 18 to Saturday, October 22, 2022.

Electors will be able to cast a ballot at one voting place in each of the 12 electoral districts (Countryside District will have two voting places) on Voting Day, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. 

In addition, there will be a number of institutional voting places that will have reduced hours of voting and are available for the residents of the institution only.

Find more information about voting locations and hours on the In-person Voting page.

Electors will be able to vote online beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022. Online voting will be available until 8:00 p.m. on Voting Day, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022 provided that you are registered for online voting by 5:00 p.m. on Voting Day. Your Voter Information Notice (see discussion above) will contain your unique Voter Identification Number and instructions on how to obtain a PIN number to access online voting.  

All voting places on Advance Voting Days and Voting Day will offer electors the opportunity to use accessible voting equipment to cast their ballot privately and independently.

The accessible voting features include: touch screen and navigation keypad buttons (including Braille and printed text labels) with audio interface that allow the voter to mark the same ballot type as all other electors.

Kingston Transit and Kingston Access Bus will be offering free transportation for electors on both Advance Voting Days and Voting Day from one hour before the opening of voting places and one hour after voting places close. Electors using Kingston Transit will need to show their Voter Information Notice on both the ride to and from their voting place.

Free transportation on Kingston Access Bus will be for registered users of that service only and when reserving their transportation the elector will have to identify which voting place they are going to.

Reminder: keep your Voter Information Notice for your ride home.

Any person who is a resident of Ontario may make a contribution to a candidate's campaign. Campaign contributions are any money, goods or services that are given to a candidate for use in their campaign.

Individuals may contribute a maximum of $1,200 to a single candidate. This includes the value of any goods or services donated to the campaign.  Individuals may not contribute more than $5,000 in total to candidates running for offices on the same council or school board. Contributions of $25 or more may not be made in cash.  All contributions above $25 must be made by cheque, money order, or by a method that clearly shows where the funds come from.

Contributions to municipal and school board candidates are not tax deductible.

For more information about contributions to a candidate's campaign, please refer to the Candidates section and the related documents "Campaign Contributions and Expenses".

Any person who is a resident of Ontario may make a contribution to a third party advertiser's campaign. Individuals may contribute a maximum of $1,200 to a single third party advertiser. This includes the value of any goods or services donated to the campaign. Individuals may not contribute more than $5,000 in total to third party advertisers registered in Kingston. All contributions above $25 must be made by cheque, money order, or by a method that clearly shows where the funds come from.

Contributions to a third party advertiser are not tax deductible.

For more information about contributions to a third party advertiser's campaign, please refer to the Third Party Advertisers section.

An eligible elector who believes on reasonable grounds that a candidate or third party advertiser has broken one of the election finance rules as set out in the Municipal Elections Act (MEA) may submit an application for a compliance audit. Such applications must be submitted within specific timelines as set out in the MEA.