Frequently Asked Questions

Report COU06-009 - Councillor Information - Frequently Asked Questions

Who can vote?

You can vote in the City of Peterborough municipal election if you are:

• A Canadian citizen
• At least 18 years old
• A resident of the City of Peterborough
• A non-resident owner or tenant of land in the City of Peterborough, or their spouse
• Not prohibited from voting under any law

Note:You may only vote ONCE in the City of Peterborough municipal election regardless of how many properties you own or rent within the City.

Where do I vote?

In late October 2006, if your name is on the voter’s list, you will receive a voter notification letter that will list the voting locations in the City of Peterborough. You can vote at any voting location in the City of Peterborough on Election Day, November 13, 2006, this is part of our new “Vote Anywhere Technology” being offered in 2006. You will also have the option to try Internet Advanced Voting, in which case you can vote from your home, office, wherever you have computer access.

If you do not receive a voter notification letter in the mail, please call the City Clerk’s office at 742-7771, Ext 1797, to find out how to have your name added to the voter’s list.

What services are available if I need help to vote?

All voting locations for Election Day, November 13, 2006, are fully accessible. Visually impaired electors, or electors who have difficulty marking a ballot may use our private audio ballot system, which will be available at every voting location on Election Day. You also have the option of bringing a friend along to help you mark your ballot if you wish. Written instructions on how to vote will be provided at the voting location in the English language. If you require an interpreter, you may ask anyone who is not a candidate or a scrutineer to act as an interpreter for you. Your interpreter must swear an oath that they will translate the information for you and you must swear an oath that you require assistance to vote.

Who runs an election?

The City Clerk is responsible for the conduct of municipal elections, by-elections and referendums.

What is a ballot?

A ballot is a piece of paper, or electronic form, containing the names of the candidates and the office they are running for. Electors will vote by marking an X in the box to the right of the candidate(s) of their choice.

What is an oath?

An oath is a statement sworn in front of an official, attesting that whatever is stated is true.

What is a non-resident?

An individual who owns or rents properly in the City of Peterborough and lives outside the City.

Who is a scrutineer?

A person representing a candidate at the voting location to observe the voting process.

What is a voting location?

A building or part of building or other facility, which may include the entranceway and parking lot, at which voting is conducted.

What is a Notification of Registration Card?

A card/letter send to every elector whose name appears on the voter’s list. It tells electors when and where to vote.

What is the voter’s list?

The list of names and addresses of eligible electors used at the voting location.

What school board do I vote for?

Each elector is eligible to vote for school board representation. It is important that electors check their status on the Voter’s List to determine whether they have been listed as an elector for the correct school board and if not correctly listed, that they apply to the Clerk to amend the list prior to attending the voting place. If you are a non-resident elector as a result of being an owner of tenant or spouse or same sex partner of an owner or tenant of commercial or industrial property, you are not permitted to vote for school purposes in your municipality. You may only vote in one school board election.

1. Public School Elector;
2. English or French Roman Catholic Separate School Elector (Must be Roman Catholic, not just the spouse of a Roman Catholic).
3. French Language Board Elector (Public or Separate) (Must have the right under the Canadian Charter of Rights to have their children receive primary or secondary education in the French language-not French immersion).

How to Appoint Someone to Vote on Your Behalf?

If you are unable to attend a voting place on any of the dates set for voting, you may either vote yourself via internet advanced voting, or you may appoint someone to act as your proxy on Election Day. This allows you to appoint another eligible elector to attend the voting place and cast your vote on your behalf. Proxies can only be appointed after September 29, 2006 (unless supplementary nominations are required which would be to October 5, 2006).

May I Take Time Off Work to Vote?

If your hours of employment are such that you will not have three consecutive hours in which to vote on Election Day, you are entitled to be absent from work for as long as is necessary to allow thee consecutive hours during the opening of the voting place. Voting Places are open from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Therefore, if you normally work from10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and you need the three hours in which to vote, you are entitled to the extra hour off early in order to vote. The Municipal Elections Act, 1996, does stat that any absence shall be timed to suit the employer’s convenience as much as possible. The Act also states that the employer shall not make a deduction from the employee’s pay or impose any other penalty for the absence from work.

Where Do College and University Students Vote?

With respect to students, the place where a person’s family resides is also their residence unless they have moved with the intention of changing their permanent lodging. *Students who reside "away from home" may vote in BOTH PLACES - within the municipality where they attend school and also within the municipality where their family resides (their 'home') if it is their permanent resident.

Where Do Homeless People Vote?

If the person has no permanent lodging place, their residence shall be determined to be:

1. The place to which the person most frequently returned to sleep or each during the five weeks preceding the determination
2. If the person returns with equal frequency to one place to sleep and to another place to eat, then the place to which he or she returns to sleep is his or her residence
3. Multiple returns to the same place during a single day, whether to eat or sleep, shall be considered one return.
4. In absence of evidence, a person’s affidavit is conclusive.