Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Election day is Wednesday, October 26, 2022 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

An election is being held to elect the offices of Mayor, Councillor and School Trustee in the City of Winnipeg.

Mayor and Councillor candidate guides are available from the City Clerk's Department, Susan A. Thompson Building, 510 Main Street.

Opportunities exist for persons eighteen years of age or older, to work as an Election Officer during Advance Voting (October 3-21, 2022) and on Election Day (October 26, 2022).

More information regarding election officer positions is available on the Work as an Election Officer webpage.

Persons seeking election for either Mayor or Councillor must file their registration form and nomination papers, in person with the Senior Election Official, before their name can appear on the ballot.

Persons seeking election for School Trustee must file their nomination papers, in person with the Senior Election Official, before their name can appear on the ballot. There is no registration period for School Trustee candidates.

More detailed information is available in the Candidate’s Guide and the Campaign and Expenses Contributions Guide.

Registration forms are available on the candidate registration webpages, as well as from the Campaign Expenses and Contribution Guide.

The registration period for candidates for Mayor begins Sunday, May 1, 2022 and ends Tuesday, September 20, 2022.

The registration period for Councillor candidates begins Thursday, June 30, 2022 and ends Tuesday, September 20, 2022.

Registration must be done in person with the Senior Election Official, City Clerk's Department, Susan A. Thompson Building, 510 Main Street, during regular business hours.

A person seeking to be a candidate for Mayor or Councillor can begin accepting campaign contributions and may incur campaign expenses only after they have filed their registration form.

There is no legislation regulating campaign contributions or expenses for school trustee candidates.

Individuals who reside in Manitoba can contribute to candidates for Mayor and/or Councillor.

There is no legislation regulating campaign contributions for school trustee candidates.

The maximum amount that can be contributed per individual to a candidate for Mayor is $1,500.00.

The maximum amount that can be contributed per individual to a candidate for Councillor is $750.00.

There is no legislation regulating campaign contributions for candidates for School Trustee.

Candidates for Mayor and Councillor can make a contribution to their own campaign but the contribution limit of $1,500.00 for Mayor and $750.00 for Councillor applies to the candidate and their spouse.

There is no legislation regulating campaign contributions for school trustee candidates.

The Campaign Period for candidates for Mayor begins on Sunday, May 1, 2022 and ends March 31, 2023.

The Campaign Period for candidates for Councillor begins on Thursday, June 30, 2022 and ends on March 31, 2023.

There is no legislation defining a campaign period for school trustee candidates.

Candidates can file their nomination papers, in person, with the Senior Election Official during business hours beginning Wednesday, September 14, 2022. The deadline for filing nomination papers is 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, September 20, 2022. Appointments are recommended and should be made in advance. Please contact elections@winnipeg.ca for additional information.

Candidates for Mayor must have a minimum of 250 signatures of voters whose names appear on the voters list.

Candidates for Councillor must have a minimum of 25 signatures of voters whose names appear on the voters list for the council ward in which they are seeking election.

Candidates for School Trustee must have a minimum of 25 signatures of voters whose names appear on the voters list for the school division ward in which they are seeking election.

Yes. Contributors (including registered candidates) are eligible to receive a rebate.

Rebates will be mailed out commencing in the fall of 2023. A rebate is payable only if the candidate has filed an audited financial statement and complied with all by-law requirements.

To receive a rebate, the contributor must complete the Contribution Rebate Application form (provided to them by the candidate) and mail it to:

City Clerk's Department
Susan A. Thompson Building,
510 Main Street, Winnipeg, R3B 1B9

To view the governing legislation for rebate applications, please see the Rebate Of Election Contributions By-Law No. 9/2010.

No. Contributions made to candidates are not tax-deductible.

Candidates can erect campaign signage on public property beginning Saturday, September 3, 2022.

All signs must comply with applicable requirements. For additional information, please reference the Candidate’s Guide.

Yes. A candidate can advertise or campaign on the day of the election.

Violations can be reported by contacting 311.

Persons may vote for Mayor / Councillor, if they meet the following eligibility criteria:

• a Canadian citizen; and
• 18 years of age or older on Election Day, October 26, 2022; and
• an actual resident or registered owner of land in the City of Winnipeg as listed in the City of Winnipeg Assessment Roll for a period of at least six months (since April 26, 2022).

A person who is a resident of the school division is eligible to vote if they are:

• a Canadian citizen
• 18 years old or older on Election Day, October 26, 2022
• a resident of the school division since April 26, 2022
• an actual resident of the school division ward on Election Day, October 26, 2022.

The City of Winnipeg uses the National Register of Electors, compiled by Elections Canada, as the basis for the voters list.

The City of Winnipeg's Voters List is now closed. The deadline for adding names to the voters list was 4: 30 p.m., Wednesday, August 31, 2022.

Yes. If you meet the voter eligibility criteria but your name is not on the voters list, you can still vote by presenting your identification and taking an oath at the voting place.

No. Copies of the voters list are not available to the public.

A voter’s notice is notification that an election is taking place and provides the date, time and place where the person is to vote. Voter’s notices will be mailed to individuals on the voters list in early October 2022.

Voter’s notices are not always delivered the same day and may yet arrive within the next day or two. A voter’s notice is not required in order to vote.

A voter's notice is not necessary in order to vote, providing you meet the voter eligibility requirements. At the voting place, you will be required to present ID and take an oath prior to voting.

Eligible voters who did not received a voter’s notice are encouraged to check their voting location online at winnipeg.ca/wheredoivote.

All advance voting locations are open to all eligible voters across the City, no matter where they reside. However, Election Day voting locations are tied to a voter’s current address and they must vote at the voting place assigned to their voting subdivision.

Bring the voter’s notice with you to your voting place and let the election officer know that the person identified on the voter’s notice does not reside at your address.

This will be noted and the individual's name will be removed from the voters list.

Bring the notice with you to your voting place and let the election officer know that your name is incorrect or spelled incorrectly. You will be asked to take an oath prior to voting in order to correct your name on the voters list.

No. Individuals may only vote once. Bring both notices with you to your voting place and let the election officer know that you received two.

This will be noted and the duplicate entry will be removed from the voters list.

All election officers have taken an oath of secrecy and can assist a voter who requires assistance in the voting booth. However, if a voter would prefer to have a friend, relative, etc. help them, that person must take an oath at the voting location and will then be permitted to assist. The person assisting is only permitted to help a maximum of two voters in total in this election.

A person whose name appears on the voters list will receive a voter’s notice in the mail identifying their closest voting place.

Eligible voters who did not received a voter’s notice are encouraged to check their voting location online at winnipeg.ca/wheredoivote.

Yes. All voting places are accessible.

A scrutineer is a representative of the candidate who is appointed to observe election proceedings.

Additional information on scrutineers is available in the Candidate’s Guide and on the scrutineers webpage.

Yes. Voters will be required to provide proof of their name and current address by showing identification.

A valid driver's license as well as an enhanced identification card will be accepted. In the absence of a driver's license or enhanced identification card, any two documents that together show the person's name and current address will also be accepted.

Additional information on acceptable forms of ID is available on the ID requirements webpage.

Yes, provided you meet all eligibility requirements to vote. At the voting place, you will be required to present identification and take an oath prior to voting.

Yes, provided you meet the eligibility of a voter. At the voting place, you will be required to present identification and take an oath prior to voting.

Yes, provided you meet the eligibility of a voter.

No. You are only eligible to vote for the candidate in the school division ward where you are an actual resident.

You are only eligible to vote for School Trustee if you have lived in the new school division for at least six months (since April 26, 2022).

The voting machine will return a spoiled ballot to the voter. The voter then has the option of remarking their ballot. If a voter does not wish to remark their ballot, the ballot will be inserted into the voting machine.

There is no requirement for employers to provide employees with time off to vote in a civic election.

If an employee's work schedule does not allow them time to vote on Election Day, they should take advantage of advance voting opportunities or vote by sealed envelope ballot.

No.

Arrangements can be made to vote by sealed envelope ballot.

Advance voting is open to all eligible voters, with the exception of voters who have applied to omit or obscure their information from the voters list, as well as anyone who has submitted a Sealed Envelope Ballot application.

Yes. Arrangements can be made to vote by sealed envelope ballot.

Voting by Sealed Envelope Ballot is a provision by which a voter can submit an application to receive an election ballot package mailed to them. The voter then marks the ballot and returns it in a sealed envelope to the Senior Election Official prior to the close of voting on Wednesday, October 26, 2022.

*Please be advised that the City of Winnipeg uses Canada Post for delivery of sealed envelope ballot packages. It is the responsibility of the elector to ensure ample time for delivery.

Standard Canada Post delivery times are:

• 2 business days (local)
• 3 business days (within the province)
• 4 business days (national).

For all other delivery time frames, please visit the Canada Post website.

Eligible voters are permitted to vote by sealed envelope ballot if they are unable to go in person to a voting station due to a disability (including health risks), are providing care to a person who is unable to leave their home, or expect that on Election Day and the day or days of Advance Voting, they will be absent from their local authority, or, at a location so significantly distant from the location that they are eligible to vote at that it is not reasonably possible to vote at that location.

Applications for voting by sealed envelope ballot  will be available online as of Thursday, July 28, 2022, as well as in person from the City Clerk's Department, Susan A. Thompson Building, 510 Main Street, as of Wednesday, September 28, 2022.

Applications received by Friday, October 14, 2022, will receive a Sealed Envelope package in the mail. After this date, you must make alternate arrangements with the City Clerk's Department for the Sealed Envelope package to be delivered to you. All applications must be received by 4:30 p.m. Sunday, October 23, 2022.

After the close of nominations, a random draw is held to determine the order of names to appear on the ballot.

To mark the ballot, the voter must fill in the circle next to their candidate of choice with the special marker provided in the voting compartment.