You can vote in the 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 of the municipality; or
• You are a non-resident of the municipality, but you or your spouse own or rent property in the municipality; and
• You are not prohibited from voting under any law.

Resident Elector - If you live in the municipality, then you are eligible to vote in the 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 in the municipality, you must vote in the Ward 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 municipality, you can also vote in the election.

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

Voting for students: If you are 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.

Trailer Owners - Campgrounds/Parks: Trailer owners in campgrounds are tenants of the campground and therefore, they are potentially eligible electors.  The Campground/ Park in which the trailer is located must be your primary residence, or you must have a tenant agreement which states that you are entitled to “use the land for a period of six weeks or more during 2018”. You can visit the Township office to be added to the Voter's List - you must bring one piece of identification showing name and address, as well as your tenant agreement showing your name, address and length of tenancy (again, must be longer than 6 weeks).

Who cannot vote?

You are prohibited from voting in the 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;
• a person convicted of a corrupt practice described in section 90(3) of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996

 View the 2018 Voters' Guide here.  This guide provides information to voters for the 2018 municipal council and school board elections.  As there may be nuances in this material as compared to what is happening in East Zorra-Tavistock, please check with the Township Clerk for clarification.

Are you on the list to vote for the upcoming municipal election?

March to August 2018:  If you are an Ontario resident over the age of 18 you can visit the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation's (MPAC) voterlookup.ca website site to confirm or update your information in a few easy steps. You can also change your school support for electoral purposes and add names to your property address.  Updating this information will help to ensure that municipal Voters’ Lists are accurate and up-to-date in preparation for municipal and school board elections occurring this October.

Find out ahead of time if you are eligible to vote. Visit voterlookup.ca or call 1-866-296-6722. Have your say. Log on today!

Fall 2018: The Township has added a "Voter's List Lookup" request form to the Township website to allow eligible electors to check if they are on the Voter's List.  Once the information is sent to the Township, staff will review and follow up with the requester. Electors without computer access or who would prefer assistance are invited to call or attend at the Voter Help Centre (Township Office) starting mid-September, 2018 to look up if they are on the Voter List.  If contacting the office by phone, Staff will ask a few questions of the elector in order to determine whether or not the elector is in fact on the list.  Office hours are 8:30 am to 12:00 (noon), and 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm.

If you are not on the list, you must visit the Voter Help Centre in person to make any additions, deletions or corrections to the voters list.  You will need to complete the prescribed forms and provide identification showing proof of your name and qualifying address in order to do any of the following actions:

• Add/ delete your name from the voter's list
• Correct your name on the voter's list
• Have a PIN (required in order to vote) re-issued, activated or deactivated
• Swear an oath in regards to any election related matter

While an elector can be added up until the close of voting on October 22^nd, DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MOMENT!  Staff at the Voter Help Centre are available to help you get on the voter's list so that your vote can be cast!

It is the responsibility of the elector to ensure they are on the voter's list and that they are a qualified elector!

The Township of East Zorra-Tavistock has a Mayor and Deputy Mayor who are each elected at large (across the entire Township), with the remaining five members of Council elected by residents in each of the Township's respective three wards.  Ward 1 (former Village of Tavistock) is represented by two members; Ward 2 (south of Tavistock to the north side of Braemar Sideroad, including Hickson) is represented by one member; and, Ward 3 (all area south of Braemar Sideroad, including Innerkip) is represented by two members. For more information on ward boundaries, view the East Zorra-Tavistock Ward Map map below.

Township of East Zorra-Tavistock Ward Map

Ward 1 (former village of Tavistock) Map