Glossary
Find definitions for election terms.
Advance voting is a set number of days during the election period where you can vote in person before election day using a ballot with a list of candidates.
A ballot is a piece of paper that lists the candidates and their political parties (if applicable) who are running for office. To vote for a candidate, mark an X on the ballot in the white circle beside the name of the candidate of your choice.
The blackout period means, in any election, polling day and the day before polling day.
Political entities are prohibited from running paid advertising, and broadcasters or publishers are prohibited from broadcasting or publishing political advertisements during the blackout period.
A by-election is an election called in an electoral district between general elections to replace a Member of Provincial Parliament who has vacated their seat in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
The campaign period begins the day the writ is issued and ends three months after election day for a general election. Specific restrictions on political financing apply during this period.
A candidate is a person running to be a Member of Provincial Parliament, who has been issued a Certificate of Nomination from a returning officer or the Chief Electoral Officer during the election period.
This document is a temporary form of identification that can be issued by the executive director of a homeless shelter or food bank to an elector who does not have a permanent address.
The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) is an Officer of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council to oversee provincial elections in Ontario.
A constituency association, sometimes known as a riding association, is an organization that is endorsed by a specific political party, or by an independent member (MPP), in an electoral district.
Ontario’s election law allows voters to decline their ballot. This is a public process and is done out loud. The election official will mark “declined” on the election documentation and the ballot will be placed in an envelope for declined ballots. Declined ballots will be counted and reported after the polls close on election night and included in the official results as “declined ballots".
An election period ends with election day, which is the last day to vote in an election.
The election period begins the day the writ is issued and ends on election day.
An elector is a person who is eligible to vote in an Ontario provincial election. To be eligible, you must be at least 18 years old, a Canadian citizen and a resident of Ontario.
A geographical area of the province defined in the Representation Act that is represented by a Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
A candidate who wants to run as part of a political party must receive an endorsement from the party’s leader. Endorsements are filed by the party leader before close of nominations during the election period and allow the party name to be placed below the candidate’s name on the ballot.
The general election date is fixed in the Election Act as the first Thursday in June in the fourth year following a general election.
A general election is when an election occurs in all the electoral districts in the province at the same time. General elections typically take place every four years.
When the total number of government seats in the house exceeds the total number of opposition seats.
A marked ballot is one that has an X in one of the circles next to the candidates’ names. Marked ballots will be counted and reported after the polls close on election night and included in the official results as accepted ballots marked for candidate.
When the total number of opposition seats in the house exceeds the total number of government seats.
A mobile poll is open for part of the day at one location and moves to another location later in the day. Mobile polls are typically located in nursing homes and small, long-term care facilities that do not require 12 hours for voting.
For a candidate’s name to appear on the ballot, they must have their nomination paper approved by the Returning Officer before the day and time listed on the writ as the close of nominations.
A general election that takes place on a date other than the one specified by Ontario’s Election Act. A general election could be a non-fixed date election when there is a minority government or if the government decides to call the election early.
By-elections are also considered non-fixed date elections.
Election results become official once they have been tabled in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, approximately six months after a general election and three months after a by-election.
During official tabulation, the returning officer compiles the results for each candidate from the results tabulated by election officials on election night. At the conclusion of the official tabulation, each returning officer declares the candidate with the most votes to be elected. Candidates or their designated representatives are invited to official tabulation to observe the proceedings.
A guide sent to every address in Ontario during a general election that contains information voters need to vote.
During a by-election, the guide is sent to every address within the electoral district having the election.
The Permanent Register of Electors for Ontario (PREO), more commonly known as the voters list, includes the names and addresses of people who are eligible to vote in Ontario. Information on the register is updated from a variety of sources including Elections Canada, other government agencies, and through direct updates from electors.
When an election is called, information from the Permanent Register of Electors for Ontario is used to create the voters list for each electoral district.
A political party is an organization that is registered with Elections Ontario.
An electoral district is divided into geographic areas called polling divisions. This is done for the purpose of administering the election. There is at least one voting location for each polling division. Your voting location on election day is determined by your polling division.
When the difference between the number of votes cast for the two candidates with the most votes is less than 25, the Returning Officer must apply to a judge for a recount.
A candidate or any elector in the electoral district may apply to a judge for a recount, for a fee. Applications for a recount may be refused by the judge.
If a voter marks their ballot with initials or another identifying mark, or marks outside of one of the circles beside the candidates' names, their ballot may be rejected. Rejected ballots will be counted and reported after the polls close on election night and included in the official results as “rejected ballots".
Each electoral district has a local election office known as a returning office. Returning offices open once an election or by-election has been called. Voters can go to the returning office to vote by special ballot or during advance voting. They can also go to the returning office to add, update or remove their information on the voters list.
A Returning Officer is the election official who is appointed to administer an election in an electoral district by the Lieutenant Governor in Council (the Cabinet) upon the recommendation of the Chief Electoral Officer.
A satellite office is an additional returning office located in an electoral district. These offices are typically used in electoral districts that cover a large geographic area to improve access to the services provided by a returning office.
A person who represents a candidate at a voting location to observe the voting and the counting of the ballots. One scrutineer per candidate is permitted for each poll official that issues a ballot to an elector. Any scrutineer who is not eligible to vote cannot challenge the eligibility of an elector.
A third party is any person or entity that is not a political party, candidate or constituency association, and that engages in political advertising.
If a voter does not mark their ballot and places it in the ballot box, the ballot will be considered unmarked.
After polls close on election night, unofficial results are posted as they are reported to give the number of votes cast for each candidate. These do not include poll-by-poll results.
Anyone eligible to vote in an Ontario election can choose to vote by mail.
By applying to vote by mail, you are requesting that a voting kit with a write-in ballot be mailed to you. You are responsible for ensuring that the completed write-in ballot is received by Elections Ontario by 6 PM (Eastern Time) on election day.
A voter is an elector who accepts a ballot from an election official.
A card sent to registered voters once an election has been called that has information about when and where to vote.
The voters list is the common way of referring to the Permanent Register of Electors for Ontario.
A voting kit includes a write-in ballot where you can write the name of the candidate of your choice, along with envelopes to secure and return your ballot. You will receive a voting kit if you choose to vote by mail, by home visit or through the hospital program (general elections only).
All write-in ballots must be received by 6 PM (Eastern Time) on election day.
A building or other facility selected by a Returning Officer to be a location where voting takes place.
A Writ is the formal, legal document that starts a provincial election in Ontario. The Lieutenant Governor and the Chief Electoral Officer both sign two copies of a Writ for each electoral district. One copy is sent to the Returning Officer in each electoral district, giving them the authority to hold an election. The other copy is filed with the Official Documents of the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services. At the end of the election, the Returning Officer returns the writ to Elections Ontario.