Information for Candidates

Nominations must be filed in-person at Town Hall - Clerks as original signatures are required.  Appointments can be scheduled by contacting the Town Clerk's office either by email or by phone 905-563.2799 ext. 513 

To file a nomination, you must provide: 

• Nomination Paper (Form 1) 
• Endorsement of Nomination (Form 2) 
  Although only 25 endorsements are required, candidates are encouraged to obtain more than 30 to account for any that may be deemed invalid. 
  Third Party Advertisers and School Board Trustee candidates are not required to file an Endorsement of Nomination (Form 2).  
• Current applicable identification and proof of Canadian Citizenship 
• Nomination filing fee (accepted forms of payment include debit, certified cheques, money orders and bank drafts, payable to The Town of Lincoln) 
• The filing fee is $200 for candidates running for Mayor and $100 for Councillors, Regional Councillor, or School Board Trustee candidates 
• Election Sign Deposit Application Form
  • Mayor/Regional Councillor ($250.00) 
  • Ward Councillor ($200.00) 
  • Registered Third Party or School Board Trustee ($200.00) 
• Nomination fees are refunded to candidates once they file the required financial statement 

If an agent is filing a nomination on your behalf, they must provide the above documents and their own identification. 

If candidates do not file the required financial statement by the deadline as per the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, they are not eligible to receive a refund. 

 To run for Mayor, Councillor, or Regional Councillor on the day the nomination paper is filed, a person must be: 

• A Canadian Citizen 
• At least 18 years of age 
• A resident of the Town of Lincoln or an owner or tenant of land in the Town of Lincoln, or the spouse of the owner or tenant 
• Not legally prohibited from voting 
• Not disqualified by any legislation from holding Municipal Office  

To run for School Board Trustee, on the day the nomination paper is filed, a person must be:

• a resident within the Jurisdiction of the board
• a supporter of the board ("supporter" refers to the individual's support for one of the four publicly funded school systems. A list of supporters for each system is kept by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation).
• a Canadian Citizen
• at least 18 years old
• Roman Catholic (if running for a Catholic School Board)
• not legally prohibited from voting
• not disqualified by any legislation from holding school board office

If you no longer wish to run in the Town of Lincoln Municipal Election, you must advise the Town Clerk in writing before the end of the nomination period.  Candidates cannot withdraw after the nomination period has closed. 

Candidates who have withdrawn their nomination are still required to file a financial statement. 

The Municipal Elections Act, 1996 includes rules for third party advertising.

A third party advertisement is:

• An advertisement in any broadcast, print, electronic or another medium that has the purpose of promoting, supporting or opposing a candidate in the election, or a "yes" or "no" answer to a question on the ballot

A third party advertiser is:

• Any individual, corporation or trade union that causes an election campaign advertisement to appear
• Required to register with the City Clerk of the municipality where they want to advertise

The Third Party Advertisers Guide from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs provides information about voting in Municipal and School Board Elections.

To become a third party advertiser, you must file a completed notice of registration (Form 7) in person at Town Hall in the Clerks department, as original signatures are required.   

Appointments can be scheduled by contacting the Town Clerk's office either by email or by phone 905-563-2799 ext. 513 

If an agent is filing a nomination on your behalf, the agent must provide the above documents as well as their own identification. 

You are eligible to register as a third party advertiser if you are: 

• An individual who is normally a resident of Ontario 
• A corporation that carries on business in Ontario 
• A trade union that holds bargaining rights for employees in Ontario 

You are not eligible to register as a third party advertiser if you are:

• A candidate whose nomination has been filed under section 33 of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996
• A federal political party registered under the Canada Elections Act (Canada) or any federal constituency association or registered candidate at a federal election endorsed by that political party
• A provincial political party, constituency association, registered candidate or leadership contestant registered under the Elections Finances Act, 1990
• The Crown in right of Canada or Ontario, a municipality or local board

• If you plan to incur campaign expenses or accept contributions, you must open a separate bank account for each campaign 
• A contributor's total contribution cannot exceed $1,200 for both campaigns for councillors or school board trustee candidates 

Financial statements from candidates and third party advertisers in the 2026 municipal election are available on this page, in accordance with section 88 (9.1) of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996.

All candidates and third party advertisers must file their financial statement and auditor's report (if required) on or before March 30, 2027, at 2:00 p.m.

In accordance with section 88.23(4) of the Municipal Elections Act, the Clerk shall make available to the public the following report setting out all candidates in an election and indicating whether each candidate complied with section 88.25. 

If you have reasonable grounds to believe that a candidate or third party advertisers has violated the campaign finance rules, please request a compliance audit.