Voter Information

To vote in the 2026 Municipal and School Board election, you must be:

• a Canadian citizen; and
• at least 18 years old; and
• a resident of St. Catharines; or
• a non-resident of the city of St. Catharines, but you or your spouse own or rent property in St. Catharines; and
• not prohibited from voting under any law.

You may only vote once regardless of how many properties you own or rent within the city. You must vote in the ward where you live. If you are also the owner or tenant of a property in another ward, you are not permitted to vote in that ward instead.

You are prohibited from voting if you are:

• serving a sentence of imprisonment in a penal or correctional institution;
• a corporation;
• acting as executor or trustee or in another representative capacity, except as a voting proxy;
• convicted of a corrupt practice described in section 90(3) of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996

Voting day for the municipal and school board election is October 26, 2026. Choose to vote at any of the three polls located in your ward. Polls will be open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

Advanced polls are scheduled throughout the month of October. Choose to vote at any advance poll that is most convenient for you, regardless of the ward that you reside in. Electors who require accessible voting equipment are encouraged to vote at any one of the advance voting opportunities.

Vote-by-mail will also be offered as an alternative method of voting. Vote-by-mail is the only remote method that fully upholds all principles of the legislation as paper ballots are used and it closely resembles the traditional paper method. Applications to vote-by-mail are now open and will close on September 11, 2026 at 4:30 p.m.

How Many Candidates Can I Vote For?

Mayor - you can vote for up to 1 (one) candidate

Ward 1 Councillor - Merritton - you can vote for up to 2 (two) candidates
Ward 2 Councillor - St. Andrew's - you can vote for up to 2 (two) candidates
Ward 3 Councillor - St. George's - you can vote for up to 2 (two) candidates
Ward 4 Councillor - St. Patrick's - you can vote for up to 2 (two) candidates
Ward 5 Councillor - Grantham - you can vote for up to 2 (two) candidates
Ward 6 Councillor - Port Dalhousie - you can vote for up to 2 (two) candidates

You must vote in the ward where you live. If you are also the owner or tenant of a property in another ward or your spouse owns or rents a property in another ward, you are not permitted to vote in that ward instead.

District School Board of Niagara - you can vote for up to 4 (four) candidates
Niagara Catholic District School Board - Ward 1 - you can vote for up to 1 (one) candidate; Wards 2 to 6 - you can vote for up to 2 (two) candidates
Conseil Scolaire Catholique MonAvenir - you can vote for up to 1 (one) candidate
Conseil Scolaire Viamonde - you can vote for up to 1 (one) candidate

What to Expect at a Voting Location

Voting on Election Day or on an advance vote day will be easy, and results will arrive quickly after the close of polls on Voting Day. Here is how it works:

Identification Required: Identification will be required at the voting location to verify your identity and qualifying address. Click here for acceptable forms of identification.

1. When you arrive at the voting location, you will need to present an acceptable form of identification and, if available, your voter notification card that you received in the mail. You will receive your paper ballot in a privacy folder from the Deputy Returning Officer according to your school support (shown on the voters' list) and be directed to a voting booth to mark your ballot.
2. Use the marking pen at the voting booth to fill in the oval next to the candidate(s) of your choice for each office listed on the ballot.
3. Once you are done voting, place the ballot back in the privacy folder supplied to you with the Deputy Returning Officers' initials showing, and bring it to the Vote Tabulator Operator who will insert the ballot into the vote tabulator to record your vote. Once read, the vote tabulator will deposit your ballot into the ballot box.

Accessible ballot marking devices will be available at all Advance Polls.

Should you require use of the accessible ballot marking device they will only be available at Advance Polls.

Where to Vote - All polls are open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

From Sept. 1, 2026, you can check or update your voter information by visiting the Clerk's Office at City Hall, 50 Church Street (3rd floor) during regular business hours. You can also update your voter information in person when you vote by bringing an acceptable form of identification. 

Voter notification cards will be sent out in late September. Your card will show you available voting days and locations. Bring this card with you when you vote to help speed up the process. 

If you did not receive a voter notification card, you can be added to the voters’ list when you vote in person at an advance voting day or on election day. You must meet eligibility requirements and show ID when you vote, even if you are on the voters’ list.

Elections Ontario maintains the Permanent Register of Electors for Ontario, also known as the “voters' list” or “register.”

The voters' list contains information for individuals eligible to vote in provincial and local municipal elections in Ontao.

If you are an eligible elector, you may appoint another person to vote on your behalf. This person is known as a “proxy” voter. This person must be a qualified elector and someone you trust to vote on your behalf. You cannot appoint more than one voting proxy or act as a voting proxy for more than one other person. However, this restriction does not apply if the proxy and the other person are spouses or siblings of each other, parent and child, or grandparent and grandchild.

The Form 3 - Appointment of Voting Proxy is available for download Form 3 - Appointment of Voting Proxy.

Please note that Election Officials at the voting place or location will not accept uncertified, faxed or photocopied proxy certificates at the voting place.

The following rules apply to the issuance of Proxy Certificates:

• Only original signatures will be accepted on the proxy forms.
• Identification or proof of qualifying address for both the person appointed as the voting proxy and the elector making the appointment must be provided to the City Clerk or designate.
• The name of the person appointed as the voting proxy must be filled in on the form at the time it is signed by the elector who is appointing the proxy.
• The proxy certificate will be officially certified by the City Clerk or designate. This service will be available at all polling locations.
• The proxy certificate is a public document and may be inspected by any person during the election process.
• The appointment does not remain in effect after Voting Day of the Municipal Election.

 Acceptable documents for voter identification are listed below. 

 You must present one of the following documents showing your name and address:

• Ontario driver’s licence
• Ontario Health Card (photo card)
• Ontario Photo Card
• Ontario motor vehicle permit (vehicle portion)
• cancelled personalized cheque
• mortgage statement, lease or rental agreement relating to property in Ontario
• insurance policy or insurance statement
• loan agreement or other financial agreement with a financial institution
• 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 or such a government
• any document from a Band Council in Ontario established under the Indian Act (Canada)
• income tax assessment notice
• child tax benefit statement
• statement of employment insurance benefits paid T4E
• statement of old age security T4A (OAS)
• statement of Canada Pension Plan benefits T4A(P)
• Canada Pension Plan statement of contributions
• statement of direct deposit for Ontario Works
• statement of direct deposit for Ontario Disability Support Program
• Workplace Safety and Insurance Board statement of benefits T5007
• property tax assessment
• credit card statement, bank account statement, or RRSP, RRIF, RHOSP or T5 statement
• CNIB Card or a card from another registered charitable organization that provides services to persons with disabilities
• hospital card or record
• document showing campus residence, issued by the office or officials responsible for student residence at a post-secondary institution
• document showing residence at a long-term care home under the Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007, issued by the Administrator for the home
• utility bill for hydro, water, gas, telephone or cable TV or a bill from a public utilities commission
• cheque stub, T4 statement or pay receipt issued by an employer
• transcript or report card from a post-secondary school

This list is subject to change, please see a complete list here.

Voter Notification Card

If you are on the Voters’ List, you will be mailed a voter notification card. It is helpful if you bring your voter notification card with you to the polls but it cannot be used as proof of identity. You will still be required to show proof of acceptable identification. 

If you did not receive a voter notification card, you may still be eligible to vote and can be added at a voting location with proof of acceptable identification.