Nominations for the October municipal election in Windsor and Essex County are now open, giving hopefuls several months to enter the race for council and school board seats.
Nomination Period and Requirements
Nominations opened on Friday, May 1, and will be accepted until 2 p.m. on August 21. To become a candidate, individuals must contact their municipality's clerk, complete a nomination form, and pay a filing fee. While some Ontario municipalities allow online submissions, the City of Windsor requires the form to be signed at city hall in the presence of the clerk or a designate.
Filing Fees and Endorsements
The fee to run for mayor is $200, while the fee for councillor and school board trustee is $100. Candidates for municipal council must be endorsed by at least 25 eligible voters in their municipality. School board trustees are not required to submit endorsement signatures.
Eligibility to Run
To run for any office in the municipal election, a person must be a Canadian citizen, at least 18 years old, and a resident of the municipality where they wish to run. Alternatively, they may own or rent land in that municipality, or be the spouse of such a land owner or tenant. Candidates must not be legally prohibited from voting and must not be disqualified by law from holding municipal office.
Disqualifications
Individuals who are not eligible to vote cannot run. Employees of the municipality or school board are also disqualified unless they have taken an unpaid leave of absence or resigned. Judges, senators, members of parliament, and members of provincial parliament are prohibited, as are inmates serving sentences in penal or correctional institutions. Candidates who failed to file the necessary financial statement in the last municipal election or by-election are also barred from running.
Election day is Monday, October 26.
