Elections and the City of Toronto
Voting is a fundamental part of our democracy. When you vote, you are selecting representatives who will make the laws and policies that determine how our City functions and how we live together. In Toronto's municipal election you will vote for Mayor, Councillor and School Board Trustee.
Toronto City Council is the main governing and legislative body of the City of Toronto. City Council is made up of the Mayor and 44 Councillors. The Mayor is the only member of Council who is elected by voters from across the city. Each councillor represents one of Toronto's 44 municipal wards (a geographic area of the city). Elected trustees make up a school board. The number of trustees on a board is based on the population in the board's area of jurisdiction. You may find out more information by visiting Election Services.
Unlike other orders of government, there are no political parties at the municipal level. Elections happen once every four years. The next municipal election will take place on October 27th, 2014.
Who can vote in a municipal election?
You can vote in Toronto's municipal election if you are:
- A Canadian citizen
- At least 18 years old
- Live, own or rent property in Toronto
- The spouse of someone who owns or rents property in Toronto
- Not prohibited from voting under any law
- Not disqualified by legislation from holding municipal office
If you live in Toronto and own or rent more than one property in the City, you must vote where you live. You may only vote once in Toronto's municipal election regardless of how many properties you own or rent within the City.
How do I know when and where to vote?
The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) is responsible for preparing the preliminary list of electors for each municipality. Toronto Elections receives this preliminary list from MPAC and creates and posts the voters' list on September 1st. It is important for voters to check and see if they are on the voters' list and they can do that by calling 311 after that date. Being on the voters' list ensures that electors receive their voter information cards which are mailed out early October telling them where and when to vote in the advance vote and on Election Day. If your name is not on the voters' list you can still vote if you complete the necessary form at the voting location.
When you go to your voting place, you must take your voter information card and acceptable identification. You may bring the following: ONE piece of ID showing your Name, Qualifying Address and Signature or, TWO pieces of ID, the FIRST showing Name and Signature and the SECOND piece showing Name and Qualifying Address.
How do I vote?
There are three parts to the Toronto election ballot. Each ballot will list all of the candidates running for Mayor and the candidates running for Councillor and School Board Trustee in your ward. If you are a non-resident owner or tenant of land assessed as commercial or industrial you cannot vote for a school board trustee.
To vote:
- Give your acceptable identification to an election official who will cross your name off the voters' list and give you a ballot and a secrecy folder
- Go behind a voting screen
- Mark your ballot by connecting the head and tail of the arrow pointing to the candidate of your choice — once for Mayor, once for Councillor and once for School Board Trustee
- Place your marked ballot in the secrecy folder
- Go to the official at the vote counting equipment who will insert your ballot into the tabulator
- Your vote is then recorded and counted
- All numbers are stored in the machine until the voting location closes
If you know that you won't be able to vote on Election Day, you can either go to one of the City's advance vote locations or you can appoint another eligible elector to act as your proxy. To appoint a proxy, you and the person who will be voting on your behalf, need to provide acceptable ID complete a form and have it certified by the City Clerk's Office.
Who can be a candidate in the municipal election?
To run for an office on Council or a School Board, a candidate must be qualified on the day he or she files the nomination paper.
To run for Council (Mayor or Councillor) the person must be:
- A Canadian citizen
- At least 18 years of age
- A resident of the City of Toronto
- Own or lease property in the City of Toronto (or be the spouse of the owner or lessee)
- Not legally prohibited from voting
- Not disqualified by any legislation from holding municipal office
To run for School Board Trustee the person must be:
- A Canadian citizen
- At least 18 years of age
- A resident in the area of jurisdiction of the board
- Eligible to be an elector for the school board
- Not legally prohibited from voting
- Not disqualified by any legislation from holding municipal office.
An elected member of Council or a School Board Trustee must maintain their qualifications throughout the entire term of office or their seat will become vacant.
If you're interested in being a candidate, please contact candidateinfo@toronto.ca for more information.
Once a candidate has filed their nomination papers with the City, they are able to start fundraising and spending money on their election campaign. Contribution limits for City Councillor and School Board candidates are a maximum of $750 per contributor; Mayoralty candidates can accept a maximum of $2,500 per contributor. Corporations or trade unions are prohibited from contributing to candidates seeking office to Toronto City Council; they may still contribute to School Board Trustee candidates. If a contributor wishes to contribute to multiple candidates, they cannot contribute more than $5,000 to all candidates within a single Council or School Board jurisdiction.
There are limits on the amounts a candidate can spend on expenses during the campaign period. These limits are based on the number of electors entitled to vote for the office. The City Clerk informs candidates about their spending limits.
For more information
Information on Toronto's municipal elections - including a guide for candidates, by-laws and notices, election finances and previous election results.
311 Toronto
311 Toronto is the public information and referral service for the City of Toronto. This service operates 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
Phone within Toronto city limits: 311
Phone outside city limits: 416-392-CITY (2489)
TTY customers: 416-338-0TTY (0889)
Fax: 416-338-0685
E-mail: 311@toronto.ca
This guide is prepared for information purposes only. Reference should always be made to the relevant legislation and regulations. Questions about Toronto's municipal election can be directed to the City Clerk's Office.
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