Residents urged to ensure they’re on voters list

Roger Varley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

As the fall municipal elections draw closer, voters are strongly urged to make sure their names are on the voters list. Many Uxbridge residents may assume that they are on the list, but recent changes to the way the voter’s list is handled in Ontario may lead many to not be on the list.

For 15 years, the list was managed by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC). On Jan. 1, 2025, management of the list was turned over to Elections Ontario. Now in charge of the 444 municipalities across Ontario, Elections Ontario now manages municipal council and school board elections in addition to the provincial elections. As a result, the migration of information may have caused some voter names to be removed.

“We are following a careful process to support the accuracy and integrity of voter information,” says Greg Flood, manager of media and outreach for Elections Ontario. “Preliminary voters lists will be provided to municipalities on Aug. 14 and will continue to be updated as elector information is received and processed. To support this work, Elections Ontario has launched a comprehensive Register to Vote public awareness campaign across television, radio, digital, social media and community outreach channels, encouraging eligible electors to check, update or add their information by Aug.12 at RegisterToVoteON.ca. It is important to note that eligible electors whose names do not appear on the preliminary voters list will not lose their opportunity to vote. Beginning Sept. 1, electors can contact their municipal clerk to update their information or be added to the voters list at any time up to the close of voting on Election Day,” he says.

Emily Elliott, deputy clerk, told the Cosmos she is unaware of any problems in Uxbridge as a result of the change from MPAC to Elections Ontario.

Uxbridge council has approved the use of internet voting for the 2026 election, which takes place on Monday, Oct. 26. Specific details regarding how to cast your vote will be contained in the Voter Information Letter which the township will mail to all registered electors. If your name is not on the list, you will not receive the information.

Elections Ontario advises that its voter information is compiled from several sources, including: Ministry of Transportation records (drivers’ licences and photo cards), the Permanent Register of Electors for Ontario (which is continuously updated through various federal, provincial and municipal data sources), Elections Canada’s National Register of Electors, Ministry of Health health card data, and MPAC data (including school support designation and property assessment roll synchronization).

With files from Michael Riley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Bancroft Times