The next Municipal Election will be held on Monday, October 24, 2022. The Voting Location will be open from 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. on that day.

You may vote in the election if you reside in the municipality, are the owner or tenant of land, or your spouse is a property owner or tenant of land in the Township. You must be a Canadian citizen and 18 years old or older on Election Day. You may not be prohibited from voting by any legislation.

On Election Day, you need to bring the following items with you when you come to vote:

• Your Voter Information Letter (this contains the PIN you need to cast your ballots); and
• A valid piece of government-issued photo identification.

• The Council of the Township of South-West Oxford decided that Internet and telephone voting will be the only methods used in the 2022 Municipal Election. There will be no paper ballots.
• Details on the Voting Period (including advanced voting) will be mailed to you with your Voter Information Letter.

• The Nomination Period opened on Monday, May 2, 2022. Candidates were able to file as of 8:00 a.m. that morning.

•  Nomination Papers are now available online. You may also pick them up at the front counter, at the Township Office, during our regular business hours.
• If you require assistance completing these forms, please contact the Clerk.

• The last day to file Nomination Papers is Nomination Day, Friday, August 19, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. 

Nomination Papers must be filed in-person, at the Township Office, located at 312915 Dereham Line, Mount Elgin, ON. Candidates will be required to pay the filing fee, provide identification, and swear an oath at our office.

We have a Notice of Withdrawal form that you will be required to complete at the Township Office. This must be done before the close of nominations on August 19, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. If you wish to withdraw your candidacy in the 2022 Municipal Election, please contact the Clerk at 519-485-0477 ext. 7023 or via email to book your appointment to complete the necessary paperwork.

A Third Party Advertiser can be an individual, corporation, or trade union that is not a Candidate but participates in the election by running a campaign the same way a Candidate would. A Third Party Advertiser can run a campaign that promotes or opposes a particular Candidate.

Third Party Advertisers must register with the Clerk between May 2, 2022 and October 21, 2022. Clerk Julie Middleton can be reached by phone at 519-485-0477 ext. 7023 or via email.

The Voters’ List will be available to Candidates on September 15, 2022. On the written request of a certified Candidate for office, the Clerk shall provide this person with the part of the Voters’ List that contains the names of the electors who are entitled to vote for that office.

• You can only start campaigning after you file your Nomination Papers with the Clerk and pay the applicable filing fee.

It is the responsibility of each Candidate to ensure they are qualified to seek the office for which they are being nominated. If you are unsure, seek legal advice immediately. You will also be required to swear an Oath of Qualification when filing your nomination.

Candidates must be a qualified elector within the Township and fulfill the following requirements:

• Live in the Township of South-West Oxford, be an owner or tenant of land in the Township, or be a spouse of an owner or tenant;
• Be a Canadian citizen;
• Be at least 18 years of age on Voting Day; and
• Not legally prohibited from voting or disqualified by any other legislation. 

A Candidate can run for office in the Ward of their choice. You do not have to live in the same Ward you are running in. However, you do have to vote from the address at which you reside. For example, if you live in Ward 2 but are running in Ward 1, you have to vote in Ward 2.

In accordance with the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 a person’s, "Residence" is, “the permanent lodging place to which, whenever absent, he or she intends to return”. The following rules apply in determining a person’s, "Residence":

• A person may only have one residence at a time;
• The place where a person’s family resides is also his or her residence, unless he or she moves elsewhere with the intention of changing his or her permanent lodging place; and
• If a person has no other permanent lodging place, the place where he or she occupies a room or part of a room as a regular lodger or to which he or she habitually returns.

Campaign provisions have been clarified to allow Candidates to access apartment buildings, condominiums, non-profit housing co-ops, or gated communities from 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. in order to campaign. Landlords and condominium corporations will not be allowed to prohibit tenants or owners from displaying campaign signs in their windows. Here are the excerpts from the legislation:

Access to residential premises

   88.1  No person who is in control of an apartment building, condominium building, non-profit housing cooperative or gated community may prevent a candidate or his or her representative from campaigning between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. at the doors to the apartments, units or houses, as the case may be.

Display of signs at residential premises

   88.2  (1)  No landlord or person acting on a landlord’s behalf may prohibit  a tenant from displaying signs in relation to an election on the premises to which the lease relates.

Same, condominium corporations

   (2)  No condominium corporation or any of its agents may prohibit the owner or tenant of a condominium unit from displaying signs in relation to an election on the premises of his or her unit.

Exception

   (3)  Despite subsections (1) and (2), a landlord, person, condominium corporation or agent may set reasonable conditions relating to the size or type of signs in relation to an election that may be displayed on the premises and may prohibit the display of signs in relation to an election in common areas of the building in which the premises are found.

Same

   (4)  Despite subsection (3), no landlord, person, condominium corporation or agent may prohibit the display of signs in relation to an election in common areas of the building if space in the building is being used as a voting place.

The legislation regarding the rights of Candidates to enter apartment buildings, condominiums, and non-profits for the purposes of campaigning can also be found in the Condominium Act, 1998, S.O. 1998, Chapter 19, Residential Tenancies Act , 2006, S.O. 2006, Chapter 17 and Co-operative Corporations Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter C.35

If a student in the Township of South-West Oxford meets the general eligibility requirements, they are entitled to vote in the Township of South-West Oxford 2022 Municipal Election as well as in their home municipality.

The Township of South-West Oxford will post the names of Candidates online once they have been reviewed and approved by the Clerk. You can view the up-to-date list on the Candidates page.

• You must file your Nomination Papers in-person, at the Township Office, with the Clerk. You may contact Julie Middleton, Clerk, at 519-485-0477 ext. 7023 or via email to book your appointment.

You must be eligible to run for office at the time of nomination and throughout the election. If you are elected, you must maintain your eligibility during your time in office.

Candidates will sign a declaration swearing that they will destroy the Voters’ List in an acceptable manner. If they would like to return their copy of the list to the Clerk’s Office, we will ensure the list is destroyed on their behalf.

When you file your Nomination Papers, there will be a section for you to write down your name as you want it to appear on the ballot. If you normally go by a different name than your legal first name, you may use that name provided the Clerk agrees. You do not have to provide all of your names under, "Given Name(s)" on the form. Only provide the one(s) that you want to appear on the ballot.

• No, the Clerk is required to certify each nomination after it has been filed and before the close of nominations. The Clerk will verify the Candidate’s name is on the Voters’ List and, therefore, the person is an eligible elector.
• It is the responsibility of the Candidate to ensure they meet all the qualifications and file proper Nomination Papers. Each Candidate should contact the Township Office to ensure that their forms are in order. Since the Clerk may examine the Nominations Papers after the Nomination Period ends, and may reject them, a Candidate may find that their Papers have been rejected and are too late to file additional information or provide proof to the Clerk of their qualifications.

In accordance with the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, a person's, "Residence" is the, "permanent lodging place to which, whenever absent, he or she intends to return". The following rules apply in determining a person's, "Residence":

• A person may only have one residence at a time;
• The place where a person's family resides is also his or her residence, unless he or she moves elsewhere with the intention of changing his or her permanent lodging place; and
• If a person has no other permanent lodging place, the place where he or she occupies a room or part of a room as a regular lodger or to which he or she habitually returns.

The Township of South-West Oxford Municipal Council is comprised of the following positions to be elected:

• Mayor.
• Ward 1 Councillor.
• Ward 2 Councillor.
• Ward 3 Councillor.
• Ward 4 Councillor.
• Ward 5 Councillor.
• Ward 6 Councillor.

Nominations must be filed with the Clerk of the Township of South-West Oxford.

Visit the Candidate Information page to see which School Board Trustee positions are available to be elected and who to contact to file your nomination.

The Nomination Period opened on Monday, May 2, 2022 at 8:00 a.m. and ends on Friday, August 19, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. Nominations must be filed in-person, at the Township Office, located at 312915 Dereham Line, Mount Elgin, ON. The nomination must be accompanied by the required nomination filing fee. The prescribed fee for the head of Council is $200 and $100 for Councillors. The fee is payable by cash, debit, or certified cheque only. Payment will not be accepted by credit card, personal cheque, or e-Transfer.

Candidates are also required to swear an oath at our office. The following forms must be submitted:

• Nomination Form;
• Endorsement of Nomination Form - the signatures of 25 voters supporting the nomination are required (this applies to Mayor and Councillor candidates only); and
• Declaration of Qualifications for Municipal Candidates.

Nomination Papers are also available for pick-up at the Township Office.

If you file Nomination Papers and later decide that you no longer wish to run in the Township of South-West Oxford's Municipal Election, you must file a Written Withdrawal in-person before 2:00 p.m. on Nomination Day (Friday, August 19, 2022).

A compliance audit is an audit of a Candidate’s or registered Third Party Advertiser’s election campaign finances and their compliance with the Municipal Elections Act, 1996.

Section 88 of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 requires all municipalities and local boards to establish a Compliance Audit Committee. In accordance with the Act, the Municipal Election Compliance Audit Committee is composed of no less than 3 and not more than 7 members.

The role of a Compliance Audit Committee is to review and consider Compliance Audit Applications received from an eligible elector who believes that a Candidate or registered Third Party Advertiser has contravened a provision of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 relating to election campaign finances.

Any elector who is entitled to vote in an election and believes, on reasonable grounds, that a Candidate or registered Third Party Advertiser has contravened a provision of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 relating to election campaign finances may apply for a Compliance Audit.

The Application for a Compliance Audit must be completed and sworn to in front of a commissioner, and addressed to the Township Clerk. This can be done at the Township Office located at 312915 Dereham Line, Mount Elgin, ON. It must also include the reason(s) for the elector’s belief that the Candidate or registered Third Party Advertiser has contravened the Act. The Application must be made within 90 days after the applicable filing deadline.

Applications for a Compliance Audit on a preliminary financial filing can be made after 2:00 p.m. on Friday, March 31^st, 2024. There is no fee for the application process.

What Happens Next?

Within 10 days after receiving the Application, the Clerk will forward the application to the joint Oxford County Compliance Audit Committee for consideration.

Within 30 days after receiving the Application, the Committee will consider the Application and decide whether it will be granted or rejected. The decision of the Committee may be appealed to the Ontario Court of Justice within 15 days after the decision is made, and the court may make any decision the Committee could have made in relation to the Application.