Candidate Information

The MEA section 88.19 states that the expense should be recorded as “the replacement value of goods retained by the person, individual, corporation or trade union from any previous election in the municipality and used in the current election.” In addition, the 2026 Candidates' Guide provides this example directly in the financial reporting section “Inventory from previous campaign".

Any inventory from a previous campaign that you are using again is a contribution in goods that you make to your campaign and counts towards your self-funding limit. You must calculate the current market value (for example, if you have 100 signs left over from 2022 and use them again, you must calculate how much it would cost to purchase those same signs in 2026) and record it in Table 2. This inventory must also be recorded as a campaign expense.

Yes, any staff who are residents (eligible electors) can sign nomination forms and host signs. These are separate activities, unrelated to their town staff duties.

No, candidates are prohibited from giving anything other than campaign specific materials to members of the public during campaign activites. (MEA s. 90 (3))

All accepted donations of goods and in-kind gifts must be recorded as campaign contributions. (MEA s. 88.15 (1) (3)).

For nomination purposes, we will need one (1) original copy of page one and then photocopies of either page is fine, as long as the 25 signatures are original.

A version of Form 2 with all 25 signature slots is linked on the website, or we can print for you, upon request.

Yes, candidates can share the Town of Essex Facebook posts, as those posts are publicly available. But it must be a link to the Town’s post. A candidate cannot “reframe” the posts.

Some residential, non-residential and non-permanent tenants will not be on the current voters list due to the processes that Elections Ontario undertakes for data updates. Any eligible elector who has government issued ID with their address can be registered now through RegisterToVote.on.ca, through the Town Clerk's Office after September 1st and at the polling locations on voting days.

Yes, both you and your spouse are considered eligible electors and are able to endorse candidates for the Town of Essex.

A person is entitled to be a candidate if he or she is a qualified elector. A candidate must be qualified as of the day he or she is nominated and must remain qualified throughout the election period and, if elected, throughout the term of office. A person is entitled to be a candidate if you:

• are a resident of the Town of Essex, or an owner or tenant of land in the Town of Essex, or the spouse of such an owner or tenant;
• are a Canadian citizen;
• are at least 18 years old on Voting Day; and
• are not prohibited from voting by law.

If entitled to be a candidate, you can run in any ward - you do not have to live in a particular ward in order to be its councillor. However, if you run in a ward where you do not live, you will not be able to vote for yourself. Having a campaign office or a business in a ward where you would not otherwise be eligible to vote does not make you eligible to vote in that ward. Consult the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 for further information.

A candidate does not have to open a bank account if they do not raise or spend money. The Clerk provides all candidates with estimated and final spending limits.

Contributions to candidates from unions and corporations are prohibited in municipal elections, but unions and corporations may participate as third party advertisers and contribute to third party advertisers. The same contribution rules will apply to third party advertiser campaigns as to candidates.

Anonymous and cash contributions cannot exceed $25. Contributions over $25 must be made in a way that links the contributor's name and account with the payment. Candidates must inform contributors of contribution limits.

If goods sold to raise funds are sold for $25 or less, that amount is considered campaign income, not a contribution. Donations under $25 received at fundraising events are not contributions. See the Campaign Finance Information Sheet for a detailed explanation.

Candidates for office are required to submit financial details of their campaign. Candidates are entitled to a refund of the filing fee if they submit their campaign financial statement by the deadline.

A candidate who misses the filing deadline may file within a 30-day grace period, provided a $500 late filing fee is paid to the municipality. A candidate may resubmit a financial statement to correct an error up until the filing deadline.

The Clerk is required to make public a report of which candidates filed financial statements and which did not. See the Municipal Election Key Dates for more information.

Candidates Packages are available at Town Hall at 33 Talbot St S, Essex, Ontario upon request.

Please contact elections@essex.ca or call 519-776-7336 ext. 1146 to request a Candidates Package and to book your nomination appointment. Nominations are open from May 1, 2026 to August 21, 2026 at 2:00 PM.

It is our understanding that the quote you obtain would be a quote for a “re-election” sign. As such, the quote would include the price of the sticker. In our opinion, you can reduce the sticker expense from the quote amount since the quote will assume that the signs include the “re-elect” wording.

For example, we would expect that your financial statement would look like the following:

• Quote for “Re-Election” Signs: $5,000
• Reduction for Cost of “Re-Elect” Stickers: ($1,000)
• Costs of “Re-Elect” Stickers: $1,000
• Total Cost of Signs: $5,000

Our understanding is that candidates who are running for multiple terms are not set to bear the additional costs of stickers to add "re-elect" to the signs as such costs would be contemplated in the quote.
If you would like further confirmation, we suggest that you seek independent legal advice. Should your financial reporting be questioned, it will be investigated by the Town’s Compliance Audit Committee who would make the final determination.

Your bank should be able to accept the official Declaration of Qualification which is commissioned when you file your nomination. If that is not accepted as official documentation, a letter to the bank can be provided for you through elections@essex.ca.

Yes, a candidate can open any type of separate account and use debit cards and e-transfers. Please be aware that you need to collect donor information with that transaction that includes name, address and contact information for your campaign reporting purposes.

Yes, Candidates and their representatives are allowed full access to rented premises, condominiums and co-operative housing for the purpose of canvassing and distributing elections material. The Municipal Elections Act, 1996 sets out the following rules:

• Access to residential premises
  88.1 No person who is in control of an apartment building, condominium building, non-profit housing cooperative or gated community may prevent a candidate or his or her representative from campaigning between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. at the doors to the apartments, units or houses, as the case may be. 2016, c. 15, s. 46.
• Display of signs at residential premises
  88.2 (1) No landlord or person acting on a landlord’s behalf may prohibit a tenant from displaying signs in relation to an election on the premises to which the lease relates. 2016, c. 15, s. 46.

Yes, the registered candidate names are posted on our Uncertified Candidates page on the Town of Essex website.

The Town’s Prohibition on the Use of Corporate Resources Policy applies only to Town property. As the Greenway is not owned by the Town, we suggest contacting the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) to determine if they have any policies related to campaign activities.

The Town will not be setting up a particular email address that sends to all candidates. Instead, when a question is received by a candidate, the question and the Town’s response will be provided to all candidates by email (with the identifying information removed). Additionally, all questions asked by candidates and the Town’s responses will be posted on the Town’s website on the Candidate FAQ page.

Anyone who is endorsing a nomination must be an eligible elector and must reside in the municipality, therefore anyone living in the Town of Essex can endorse a candidate’s nomination for Ward 1, even if they live in another ward.

The reference to this response can be found in the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, S33 (1.2)

The Town of Essex's Election Sign Meeting for registered candidates and third party advertisers has been scheduled for August 24, 2026, at 5:00 pm at Town Hall.

Elections Signs are not permitted before September 11, 2026.

1. How many residents and households are in the different wards of Town of Essex?

   • Here is a breakdown of the registered electors and total households in the municipality:

     Ward	Households	Electors on List
     Ward 1	3039	6618
     Ward 2	1990	3130
     Ward 3	3455	4755
     Ward 4	1245	2047
     All	9729	16550

2. In the 2022 municipal election, what was the voter turnout in the entire municipality?

   • The voter turn out for the 2022 Town of Essex municipal election was 42.5%.

Section 10 of the candidate’s package gives complete instructions on how to use the elections@essex.ca email address and the Request for Information form online. The complete candidate's package is available online at essex.ca/election and also provided to candidate's at the time of their nomination filing,

Once received, the Elections Team will review the request, assess the merits of the request and determine if the information is already available online. The response will come from the Clerk’s office. Depending on the request, the Town may provide the information, decline to provide the information (because it is already public), and where appropriate we may require the requestor to complete a formal MFIPPA FOI.

Any responses shared with one candidate are shared with all candidates or posted online in this forum.

Sitting Council Members must be mindful of how they use various social media sites. For example, if a Facebook account is used as Member’s Facebook page (even though the page is not supported by municipal technologies or funds), the messages should not contain any campaign related information. Whether a social media account is paid for with Municipal funds or personal funds, Members are cautioned to not upload to the Member’s site used as their “official” page or a page with which they communicate Municipal business to the public, links to other social media that contain campaign content.

Members should ensure that if they only have one account on a social media platform, and they have been using that account to communicate Municipal business to the public in their office role, that if they want to use that account for election campaign purposes, this is made clear to the public on the account and individuals are given an opportunity to “opt out” of following or subscribing to the account. There should be clear evidence of the day that the page switched over from one used by the Member in their official elected/appointed capacity to one used for election campaign purposes.

Member’s social media accounts that are clearly the “official” page for Municipal business may post through social media channels any activity or event that is related to fulfilling official business, updating their constituents, and providing information on Town projects.

Members are prohibited from using pictures, videos or recording audio of Town staff and volunteers for any election activity (unless these are in the public domain and in accordance with copyright rules).

Personal social media accounts for election activity cannot be created or supported using Town resources. The Code of Conduct for Members of Council and Local Boards/Committees, Policy 37, sets out rules relating to influence of office, prohibitions regarding conduct and election campaign work.

Further clarification can be found on the Integrity Commissioner Bulletin posted on the Town of Essex website.

An individual donor can make up to $1200 in total contributions to your campaign. This can be in one cheque or over multiple donations, this total also includes gifts in kind.

If this individual donor is supporting multiple candidates in different campaigns, they cannot exceed $5000 in total contributions during the election period in 2026, in the jurisdiction of the Town of Essex.

You need to confirm that the donors know that they have a limit when contributing to your campaign.

On page 19 of the MMAH Candidate’s Guide there are some additional examples regarding managing Contribution limits.

The new term of Council will be sworn in during the Inaugural Meeting on Monday, November 16, 2026.

The last meeting of the current term of Council is November 2, 2026. Information on the Council Meeting Schedule can be found on our website at: https://calendar.essex.ca/meetings