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A candidate may file their nomination papers as of May 1, 2026 at 8:30 am. The last day to file is Nomination Day on August 21, 2026, closing at 2:00 pm.
The upcoming Municipal Election to elect a Mayor, Ward Councillors and School Board Trustees will be held on Monday, October 26, 2026. This four (4) year Term of Office starts November 15, 2026 and will end on November 14, 2030.
Any individual looking to run for Municipal Office or for a School Board Trustee must be considered an eligible candidate and complete the prescribed nomination procedures. Please note that individuals filing a nomination and/or their agents will be required to provide identification that shows name and qualifying address.
We strongly encourage you to call or email us in order to book an appointment to file your nomination papers. Once the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing finalizes the nomination forms, they will be published to this page.
Nominations for Office
Positions for Which a Person may File a Nomination Paper at the Municipal Office:
Positions Available |
Municipal Office
School Board Trustees
|
To qualify as a candidate you must be:
- A Canadian citizen;
- At least 18 years old;
- A resident in the Municipality of Port Hope, or;
- A non-resident of the Municipality of Port Hope and you or your spouse own or rent property in the municipality;
- Not legally prohibited from voting; and
- Not disqualified by any legislation from holding municipal office.
You are not eligible to run as a candidate if you are:
- A judge of any court;
- A member of the Provincial Legislature, the Federal House of Commons or Senate who has not resigned from their office by the close of nominations. Proof of resignation must be provided by the close of nominations or the Clerk will not certify the nomination;
- A candidate who failed to file the necessary financial statement or exceeded the prescribed spending limit in the last municipal election or by-election.
Nomination Process
To run for Mayor or Ward Councillor for the 2026 Municipal Election, you must complete and file both the Nomination Paper (Form 1) and Endorsement Form* (Form 2), as established by the Province of Ontario. Instructions for opening these forms:
- Nomination Form: Open the link, save the document to your computer, fill out form.
- Endorsement form: Open the link, download the form to your computer, then open the form from your downloads with the Adobe program.
Applicable election forms can also be found on the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing Central Form Repository.
*You are encouraged to obtain more than the minimum 25 required signatures to help ensure compliance and account for any potential invalid or ineligible signatures.
If you are having issues accessing these forms, please open and download the form from your browser. Once downloaded, you will need to view the document on Adobe Reader 8 or higher.
When you file your nomination, you must:
- Bring identification (for example, a driver's license); and
- Pay the filing fee: $200 for Mayor or $100 for Ward Councillor or School Board Trustee**
Nominations can be filed from May 1, 2026 to 2:00 p.m. on August 21, 2026 (Nomination Day). During this period, the Municipal Clerk and Deputy Clerk are generally available for drop-in questions on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
You must book an appointment to file your nomination. To book an appointment, call (905-885-4544) or email. This is in order for staff to review the contents of the Candidate Information Package with you, and answer any questions that you may have.
**Note: Those wishing to run for School Board Trustee must file their nomination with the Town of Cobourg Municipal Office, located at 55 King Street West, Cobourg. If you're running for school board trustee, you don't need to provide endorsement. Those wishing to run for French School Board Trustee must file their nomination with the City of Oshawa Municipal Office, located at 50 Centre Street South, Oshawa.