Municipal government elections in Ontario are held every four years on the fourth Monday of October. The next Municipal and School Board Election will take place on October 26, 2026.
As of Friday afternoon (October 23, 2026) 1,767 ballots have been returned, representing 27.25% of the electorate.
Completed ballot kits can be placed in the after hours mail slot over the weekend. On Monday October 26, 2026 ballot kits can be delivered to the Moore Room in the Arena.
If you are a resident, owner or tenant of land in the Township, a Canadian citizen and at least 18 years of age, you can participate in the election process as a voter and, if interested, as a candidate. The Province of Ontario sets out common rules governing election processes that all voters and candidates must follow in the Municipal Elections Act.
Municipalities are individually responsible for conducting elections for their councils and for conducting the election of school trustees to Ontario's school boards.
If you are a Canadian citizen, 18 years of age and an owner or tenant of land in the Township, you can vote in the upcoming municipal and school board elections.
We all play a role in ensuring a fair electoral system, and it is the responsibility of every elector to make sure their information is up-to-date and accurately reflected for electoral purposes. This includes school support.
The deadline to update your information through Elections Ontario’s Register to Vote page was August 12, 2026. You will now need to check or update your voter information directly with the Township.
Access our online Voter Registration Portal
Form EL15 - Application to Amend the Voters List
Form EL16 Application for Removal of Another's Name
The nomination period for the 2026 Municipal and School Board Elections is now closed. Please click the link below to view the list of nominated and certified candidates.
Candidate Resources:
Election Sign By-law
Use of Municipal Resources Policy
Niagara Region Sign By-law No. 122-2013
Province of Ontario Candidate's Guide
Association of Municipalities of Ontario: Lead Where You Live -A guide to running for municipal council
Scrutineers
If you are looking to appoint a scrutineer on October 26th, please use this form.
Candidates Information Night : Learn more about running in the 2026 Municipal Election
This event was held Wednesday April 29, 2026.
Those who were unable to attend can watch the replay here.
In Wainfleet, eligible voters cast ballots for the following offices:
- Mayor: One (1) candidate to be elected at large to serve as the Head of the Council of the Township of Wainfleet and to also sit as a member on the Council of the Regional Municipality of Niagara.
- Councillors: Four (4) candidates to be elected at large by the eligible electors of the Township to sit as members of the Council of the Township of Wainfleet.
- District School Board of Niagara: One (1) Trustee to represent the English-Language Public School Electors in Wainfleet and West Lincoln.
- Niagara Catholic District School Board: One (1) Trustee to represent the English-Language Separate School Electors in Wainfleet, Fort Erie and Port Colborne.
- Conseil Scolaire Viamonde: One (1) Trustee to represent the French-Language Public School Electors in Wainfleet, Fort Erie, Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Pelham, Port Colborne, St. Catharines, Thorold and Welland. Nominations shall be filed with the Clerk of the City of Welland.
- Conseil Scolaire Catholique Monavenier: One (1) Trustee to represent the French-Language Separate School Electors in Wainfleet, Fort Erie, Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Pelham, Port Colborne, St. Catharines, Thorold and Welland. Nominations shall be filed with the Clerk of the City of Welland.
As in prior elections, Vote-by-Mail will be the sole voting method used for the 2026 Municipal Election.
Please review the Province of Ontario's 2026 Voters' Guide - Ontario Municipal Council and School Board Elections.
Do you need to change your information on the Voters' List?
If you are not on the Voters' List or wish to amend your information, you must complete the "Application to Amend Voters' List", Form EL15 to request an amendment to the Voters' List. Printed copies of Form EL15 are available at Town Hall. Form EL15s may be completed by electors on paper and mailed to the Clerk’s Office or returned in person, either by the elector or through an agent of the elector, at Town Hall. The Clerk may require the applicant to provide satisfactory proof of identity and eligibility to vote.
Did you receive a kit for someone who should not be on the Voters' List?
If you have received a Vote-by-Mail kit for someone you believe is not an eligible elector in Wainfleet, please complete and return Form EL16 to the Clerks Department to request a correction to the Voters' List.
The Township of Wainfleet will be holding the 2026 Municipal Election on Monday, October 26, 2026. As in previous years (2014, 2018 & 2022), the election will be conducted through Vote-by-Mail and there will be no advance polls or proxy voting with our Vote-by-Mail Election.
Vote by Mail kits were deposited with Canada Post last week for everyone on the Voters' List as of September 15, 2026. We have already started receiving returned kits. Please note the last day for electors to return kits by mail is Thursday, October 15, 2026.
Completed Ballot Kits may be personally delivered directly to the Township Offices through Friday October 23, 2026 (8:30 am – 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday) or in the after-hours mail drop box located at our front door. Completed Ballot Kits can also be hand-delivered to the Moore Room in the Wainfleet Arena from 10:00am to 8:00pm on Monday October 26, 2026. Please follow the voting instructions located on the declaration form to ensure your vote can be counted.
What if I haven't received my Vote by Mail kit?
If you have not received your Vote-by-Mail Ballot Kit, please first confirm that you are on the Voters' List.
If you are on the list and your information is correct, please continue to monitor mail delivery. If you still have not received a kit by October 15, 2026, please contact the Clerks' Department. After October 15th, please deliver completed kits directly to Town Hall during business hours or, using the after-hours mail slot at the main entrance.
If you are NOT on the list OR your information is incorrect, please complete the Application to Amend the Voters' List. You can also correct your information through the online portal.
What if I Get a Ballot for Someone Not at my Address?
If you receive a Vote-by-Mail Ballot Kit at your residence for someone who does not reside there or, is ineligible to vote in Wainfleet, please do not open the kit. It is a serious offense under the Criminal Code of Canada to open or use a ballot kit if you are not the intended addressee. Instead, simply write "RETURN" on the outside of the envelope and return it to the Township Offices at your earliest convenience (via return mail or drop-off).
Under the authority of the Municipal Elections Act, the Clerk may correct any obvious error in the Voters' List using information that is in the local municipality’s custody or control. Returned mail is one way in which the Township is making necessary corrections.
Application for Removal of Another's Name
Instructions for Completing Your Ballot Kit
For instructions on how to complete your return ballot package, you can also view Online Video: Instructions for Completing your Return Ballot Package here.
Note: Every returned Ballot must be accompanied by a signed voter Declaration Form. An unsigned or missing Declaration Form will result in a spoiled/rejected ballot. MAKE YOUR VOTE COUNT! Return your Ballot (sealed in the provided Secrecy Envelope) along with your signed voter Declaration Form to the Township by 8:00 pm on October 26, 2026.
You don’t have to wait until Voting Day! Completed Ballot Kits may be personally delivered directly to the Township Offices anytime the offices are open (8:30 am – 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday) or in the after-hours mail drop box located at our front door. It doesn’t hurt to return your completed Ballot Kits early! And by personally delivering your completed kit - you can be assured that your vote will be counted.
Why are we using Vote-by-Mail?
- Ease and convenience for voters—you can vote in the comfort of your home and on your own time.
- It is an accessible way to vote for people with mobility issues.
- It enhances voter safety in a post-pandemic environment.
- You can vote even if you are away on Election Day.
- The Township of Wainfleet, along with many Ontario municipalities successfully conducted their municipal elections in 2022 using Vote-by-Mail - and this year, more and more municipalities are offering Vote-by-Mail.
Is Vote-by-Mail secure?
Vote-by-Mail is a double envelope system that protects the confidentiality of the voter. Just like your other bills and payments, your completed Ballot Kits (in sealed return envelopes) are processed through the Canada Post mail delivery network. When completed Ballot Kits are delivered to us, election staff use the signed voter declarations within the return envelopes to strike voters off the list as having voted. Sealed ballot secrecy envelopes are not opened though – they are separated from the voter declarations and securely stored until Voting Day, when the ballot secrecy envelopes will finally be opened and all ballot counting occurs. The privacy of your vote is assured. It is against the law to vote more than once for any elected office within the same municipality or school board.
Ontario Regulation 304/13 under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, prescribes that the following documents (an original or a certified or notarial copy that shows the person's name and qualifying address) are acceptable as proof of identity and residence for election purposes.
Schedule 1
- 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.
- A mortgage statement, lease or rental agreement relating to property in Ontario.
- An insurance policy or insurance statement.
- A loan agreement or other financial agreement with a financial institution.
- A 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 of such a government.
- Any document from a Band Council in Ontario established under the Indian Act (Canada).
- An income tax assessment notice.
- A Child Tax Benefit Statement.
- A Statement of Employment Insurance Benefits Paid T4E.
- A Statement of Old Age Security T4A (OAS).
- A Statement of Canada Pension Plan Benefits T4A (P).
- A Canada Pension Plan Statement of Contributions.
- A Statement of Direct Deposit for Ontario Works.
- A Statement of Direct Deposit for Ontario Disability Support Program.
- A Workplace Safety and Insurance Board Statement of Benefits T5007.
- A property tax assessment.
- A credit card statement, bank account statement, or RRSP, RRIF, RHOSP or T5 statement.
- A CNIB Card or a card from another registered charitable organization that provides services to persons with disabilities.
- A hospital card or record.
- A document showing campus residence, issued by the office or officials responsible for student residence at a post-secondary institution.
- A document showing residence at a long-term care home under the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021, issued by the Administrator for the home.
- A utility bill for hydro, water, gas, telephone or cable TV or a bill from a public utilities commission.
- A cheque stub, T4 statement or pay receipt issued by an employer.
- A transcript or report card from a post-secondary school.
Prior to 2018, third party advertising was not regulated for municipal council and school board elections. Those who wanted to expend funds to advertise or distribute materials supporting or opposing a candidate did not have to identify themselves, were able to spend unlimited amounts of money and did not have to report their advertising or financial activities to anyone. The Municipal Elections Act, 1996, now includes a framework of rules for third party advertising.
Now, the Municipal Elections Act provides that an individual, corporation or trade union can register to become a third party advertiser. A third party advertiser can expend funds to support or oppose any candidate or candidates who will be voted on by the people in that municipality. This includes candidates running for local council, school trustee and candidates running for offices of an upper tier council.
If appropriately registered, Third Party Advertisers can also expend funds to support or oppose a question that is included on the ballot that will be voted on by the electors of a municipality.
Please review the Province of Ontario's 2026 third-party advertisers’ guide
- October 2, 2026 - All Vote by Mail kits have been mailed
- October 15, 2026 - Last Date for Electors to Return Kits By Mail
(kits can be hand-delivered to the municipal office through October 23, 2026 during regular office hours or using the after-hours mail slot) - October 26, 2026 - Election Day
(kits can be hand-delivered to the Moore Room in the Wainfleet Arena from 10:00am to 8:00pm) - November 15, 2026 - New term of Council begins
Niagara’s local area municipalities, school boards and Niagara Region are once again forming a joint Election Compliance Audit Committee to consider requests for audits of campaign finances.
The advertisement for recruitment of members to the Joint Election Compliance Audit Committee has been posted on the Niagara Region’s website. Applications close September 11 at 4:00 p.m.
2022 Municipal Election
The financial statements for the 2022 Municipal Election Candidates are available for viewing at the Township Municipal Office.
2018 Municipal Election
- Notice of Election
- List of Registered Third Party Advertisers
- Elections Summary Report
- Clerk's Compliance Report
2014 Municipal Election Results
- Mayor & Alderman
- English Public School Board
- English Separate School Board
- French Separate School Board