LN Bulletin: Municipalities Permitted to Use Ranked Ballots in Future Elections

Beginning in 2018, municipalities will have the option of using ranked ballots in all future municipal elections as a result of new legislation, the Municipal Elections Modernization Act, 2016, which reforms the Municipal Elections Act, 1996.

This will make Ontario the first jurisdiction in Canada to use ranked ballots.

The province launched a public review of the Municipal Elections Act (MEA) that took place between May 2015 and July 2015. The MEA sets out rules for electors and candidates, and roles for municipal clerks and councils in municipal and school board elections in Ontario. The new Municipal Elections Modernization Act, 2016 (MEMA), passed on June 7, 2016, is based on input received from across Ontario, including more than 3,400 submissions from the public, municipal councils, and staff.

A full copy of the Municipal Elections Modernization Act, 2016 can be found here. 

If you have questions about these proposed changes or any aspect of municipal, land use planning, or development law, please contact please contact Quinto Annibale, Steve Ferri or Mark Joblin.