Municipal elections often don’t get as much fanfare as provincial and federal elections, but the reality is, municipal and regional governments make those decisions that affect your everyday life, like your property taxes, your garbage pickup, community safety, local transit, and more.
If you’re not sure whether you want to vote on October 22 or have some unanswered questions, we’ve created this handy guide to make things easier.
Find out what ward you live in
First, you need to find out which ward you live in, so you’ll know what candidates you’re voting for. Municipal boundaries are different than Brampton’s federal and provincial boundaries. Brampton has 10 wards which have been grouped together into Wards 1/5, 2/6, 3/4, 7/8 and 9/10. You can find out what ward you’re in by entering your address in the city’s interactive search tool.
Find out who is running
Brampton’s municipal ballot can be a little confusing. You will be voting for 4 representatives — the mayor, a regional councillor, a city councillor and a school board trustee. You might wonder why you’re voting for a regional councillor and a city councillor. It’s because Brampton is also part of Region of Peel, so in addition to sitting at city council, your regional councillor will also represent your ward and Brampton’s interests at regional council, where representatives from Mississauga and Caledon also sit. The city has a full list of certified candidates here, and we listed a bunch of places here, where you can find out more about them.
When and where do I vote?
Advanced polls open Oct 2 in Brampton, so if you’re eager to get to the polls there are a bunch of dates throughout October you can vote early. The official voting day is on October 22. Here’s a list of all the advanced poll dates and locations. The city also has a map of voting locations that will be available on Oct 22, check that out here.
What do I bring to the polls?
It used to be that you had to vote within your ward boundaries but during advanced polling you can now vote at any polling station throughout Brampton. When you go to the polls you will need to bring your Voter card, which you should have received in the mail. If you didn’t receive a Voter card in the mail you likely aren’t on the voters’ list, you can check your status and sign up for the list here or provide a piece of government-issued ID at an election polling station to be added. Find a full list of the types of ID you can use here.
How do I find out who wins?
Once you’ve voted you can kick back and wait for the results. Polls close on the evening of October 22, and the city will be posting results on its elections page.
