The Next Municipal Election is in October, 2026

Advance Accessible Voting (By Appointment)

To improve accessibility and remove barriers related to transportation, mobility, age, or disability, the Township will offer Advance Accessible Voting.

Service Period

All appointments will be scheduled in advance through the Municipal Office.

To book an appointment, please call the office and speak to Teri-Lynn. all appointments must be made by Friday, October 16th 12:00 p.m.

Monday, October 19^th, 9am – 12:00 p.m

More slots can be opened up if necessary

Eligibility

This service is available to:

• seniors
• persons with disabilities
• electors without transportation
• electors experiencing barriers to attending regular voting locations

Voting Location

Voting will take place at the elector’s residence or another mutually agreed-upon accessible location, as arranged at the time of booking the appointment.

Two (2) election officials will attend each appointment to ensure compliance with the Municipal Elections Act, election integrity, and accessibility requirements.

Election Officials Present

All advance voting appointments will be conducted with two election officials present, being:

• The Deputy Returning Officer
• The CAO / Clerk-Treasurer

This ensures:

• ballot integrity
• privacy and accessibility support
• compliance with legislative requirements

James Township Public Library

19 First Street

Elk Lake, ON P0J 1G0

September 1, 2026

Beginning today, eligible voters in James Township’s 2026 municipal election can check their information on the voters’ list. Voters can confirm, add or update their information on the voters’ list, by visiting the Municipal Office.

Being on the voters’ list before going to vote in person makes the voting process faster.
eligible voters with acceptable identification can add their name to the voters’ list when they go to vote during:

• Advance voting day: Saturday, October 17
• Election day: Monday, October 26

Acceptable Identification

Examples of Acceptable ID
• Ontario issued photo card, driver’s licence or motor vehicle permit (vehicle portion).
• Cancelled personalized cheque, credit card or bank account statement.
• Cheque stub, T4 statement or pay receipt issued by an employer.
• Statement of direct deposit for Ontario Works or Ontario Disability Support Program.
• Property tax assessment, income tax assessment notice, Child Tax Benefit statement.
• Mortgage statement, lease or rental agreement.
• Transcript or report card from a post-secondary school.
• Document showing campus residence, issued by the office or officials responsible for student residence at a post-secondary institution.
• Any other document from the government of Canada, Ontario or a municipality in Ontario or a document issued or certified by a court in Ontario.
• Any document from a Band Council in Ontario established under the Indian Act (Canada).
• Insurance policy or insurance statement.
• Utility bill for hydro, water, gas, telephone or cable TV.
• Loan agreement or other financial agreement with a financial institution.
• Statement of Employment Insurance Benefits Paid T4E.
• Statement of Old Age Security T4A (OAS), Canada Pension Plan Benefits T4A (P), Canada Pension Plan Statement of Contributions.
• Workplace Safety and Insurance Board Statement of Benefits T5007.
• CNIB card or a card from another registered charitable organization that provides services to persons with disabilities.
• Document showing residence at a long-term care home under the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021, issued by the Administrator for the home.

Eligible voters for municipal elections must be: 

• A Canadian citizen and at least 18 years old
• A resident OR a property owner or tenant OR the spouse of an owner or tenant in the municipality

The Township of James will have a Voters List available September 1st, after that you may visit the office to update or add your information to the voters list.

You are eligible to vote in the election for municipal council if you meet all of the following requirements:

you are a Canadian citizen
you are aged 18 or older
you qualify to vote in the municipality

There are three ways that you can qualify to vote in a municipality:

As a resident elector if you live in the municipality. 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. Being a resident elector is the most common type of eligibility.

As a non-resident elector if you own or rent property in a municipality, but it’s not the one where you live. While you can be a resident elector in only one municipality (with the exception of students), you can be a non-resident elector in any other municipality (or municipalities) where you own or rent property.
As the spouse of a non-resident elector if your spouse owns or rents property in the municipality or municipalities other than the one where you live.

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

If you are not certain whether you qualify as a non-resident elector, you should check with the municipal clerk. Under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, municipal clerks are responsible for conducting elections, and must be satisfied that a person is eligible to vote before adding their name to the voters’ list. Municipal clerks may seek legal advice if they are not certain of a person’s eligibility to vote.

Students
There is a special rule for students who may be living away from home while they attend school. If you are a student and consider your “home” to be the place where you live when you are not attending school (that is, you plan on returning there), then you are eligible to vote in both your “home” municipality and in the municipality where you live while attending school.

Voting in more than one municipality
If you qualify to vote in more than one municipality, you can vote in all of those municipal elections. For example, if you qualify as a resident elector in one municipality, and a non-resident elector in three other municipalities, you can vote in all four of those municipal elections.

If you are voting by proxy, you will need FORM 3. We are happy to print out a copy, just stop by the office.

Election signs may be displayed starting August 22, 2026, the day after nomination day. All signs must be removed within 72 hours after voting day. The Municipal Elections Act, 1996 prohibits displaying election signs or materials inside a voting place. Campaign materials and signs cannot be within 50 meters of a voting location. Campaign materials include vehicle wraps, window graphics, bumper stickers, magnets and pins.