Voters can find detailed information in the 2022 Voters' Guide - Ontario municipal and school board elections issued by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH).
Voters' List
The Voters’ List is a list of eligible voters in the City of Richmond Hill. The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) is responsible for preparing the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE) for each municipality and school board in Ontario. It is MPAC’s Municipal Property Assessment database of property owners and tenants that is used to prepare this preliminary list, which aids in the preparation of the final voters’ list for voting in the General Municipal Elections to be held October 24, 2022.
Removal from the Voters' List
If you think that a name is still on the voters' list but should no longer be, such as adult children who no longer live at your address or deceased individuals, please contact MPAC to notify them and request the change.
To reach MPAC, visit their website at www.mpac.ca or call them Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST:
- Toll Free 1-866-296-6722
- TTY 1-877-889-6722
Voter Lookup
If you have moved or changed your name since the last election, make sure your voter information is correct by using MPAC’s VoterLookup tool at VoterLookup.ca.
By logging into VoterLookup.ca , eligible voters can:
- confirm or update their electoral information;
- add a voter name to an address; and,
- change school support.
Click the links below to view MPAC's videos for help understanding how to use the VoterLookup tool.
English Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/voterlookupca
French Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg98xdBzDRI
English GIF Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6xU1-_D0q8
French GIF Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8nqhstC09s
For more information about the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) you can contact them Monday to Friday – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST:
- Toll Free 1-866-296-6722
- TTY 1-877-889-6722
Voter Eligibility
You can vote in Richmond Hill’s general municipal elections if you are:
- a Canadian citizen; and
- at least 18 years old; and
- reside in Richmond Hill; or are the owner or tenant of land in Richmond Hill, or the spouse of such owner or tenant; and
- not prohibited from voting under any law
You may only vote once in the City of Richmond Hill general municipal elections regardless of how many properties you own or rent within the City.
| Information for Students |
- If you are a 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.
- If you are a student attending school in another city, please check with the City Clerk of that municipality to find out what your voting options are.
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| Who Cannot Vote |
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You are prohibited from voting on voting day 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
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| Voting for a School Board |
| School Board Eligibility |
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In order to vote in a School Board Election for a School Board Trustee, you must be:
- 18 years of age or older and
- a Canadian citizen;
- a resident of the City of Richmond Hill or
- the owner or tenant (or spouse of an owner or tenant) of residential property in the City of Richmond Hill
Notes:
- School boards can cover a large area of a municipality
- You are only allowed to vote for the same school board once
- If you are eligible to vote in Richmond Hill because you are the owner or tenant (or spouse of an owner or tenant) of a commercial property in Richmond Hill you are not eligible to vote for school trustee
In order to vote for a particular school board, you must be a supporter of that school board. “Supporter” refers to which school board the school portion of your property taxes goes to. The default is the public school system. In order to be a Catholic School supporter you must direct your taxes to the Catholic School system. Contact the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (1-866-296-6722) for more information.
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| Types of School Boards |
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In order to vote for a particular school board, you must be a supporter of that school board (see "School Board Eligibility" section above).
There are four different kinds of school boards in Ontario:
- English-language public school board (York District School Board): This is the default – unless you are qualified to vote for a Catholic or French board, you will vote for the English public school board in your area.
- English language Catholic school board (York Catholic District School Board): You must be Roman Catholic, and you must be a separate school board supporter or the spouse of a separate school board supporter. If your spouse is a Roman Catholic and you are not, you are not eligible.
- French language public school board (Conseil Scolaire Viamonde): You must be a French language rights holder, and you must be a supporter (or the spouse of a supporter) of the French language public school board.
- French language separate school board (Conseil Scolaire Catholique MonAvenir): You must be a Roman Catholic and a French language rights holder, and you must be a supporter (or the spouse of a supporter) of the French catholic school board. If your spouse is a Roman Catholic and you are not, you are not eligible.
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| French Language Qualifications |
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To be eligible to vote for the French language public school board (Conseil Scolaire Viamonde) or the French language separate school board (Conseil Scolaire Catholique MonAvenir), you must have French language qualifications as outlined in Section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. You have French language qualifications if you:
- first learned and still understand French, or
- received your elementary school instruction in Canada in French, or
- have children who received or are receiving elementary or secondary instruction in French.
Note: this does not include French immersion or French as a second language.
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