Elections

The next Municipal and School Board Election will take place in October 2026. The Clerk is responsible for preparing and conducting the Municipal Election, held every four years, in accordance with the Municipal Elections Act. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor are elected by all eligible electors, while each Councillor is elected by the eligible electors of their respective ward. Elected Council members serve a four-year term. School Board Trustees are also elected at this time.

The current term of Township of Ramara Council is from November 15, 2022, to November 14, 2026.

Previous Election Results

2022 Ramara Election Results

The 2022 Municipal and School Board Election was held on October 24, 2022.

View the Official Certified 2024 By-Election Results

2024 Ramara By-Election

The Township held a by-election to fill the Ward 4 vacancy that was officially declared at the December 11, 2023, Council meeting. The by-election was held on May 13, 2024.

View the Official Certified 2024 By-Election Results

Information for Voters

Elections Ontario is responsible for maintaining the Permanent Register of Electors for Ontario, commonly known as the Voters' List. In order to vote in an upcoming Municipal or Provincial Election, you must be on the Voters' List.

Confirm, update or add your information through Election Ontario's Voter Registration Application.

Your name must be on the Voters' List in order to cast a ballot.

Election Ontario Voter Registration Application

Who Can Vote?

You can vote in Ramara's 2026 Municipal Election if you are:

A Canadian citizen; and
18 years of age or older; and
A resident of the Township of Ramara; or
A non-resident who is, or whose spouse is, an owner or tenant of land in the Township of Ramara; and
Not prohibited from voting by law

Resident Elector

A resident elector is a person who lives and is eligible to vote in that municipality’s election. A person is only allowed to have one residence. A person’s residence is the permanent lodging place to which, whenever absent, he or she intends to return.

The following rules apply in determining a person’s residence:

A person may only have one residence at a time
The place where a person’s family resides is also their residence, unless they move elsewhere with the intention of changing their permanent lodging place
If a person has no other permanent lodging place, the place where they occupy a room or part of a room as a regular lodger, to which they habitually return, is their residence

Non-Resident Elector

If a person lives in one municipality but owns property in another municipality, then they are a non-resident elector and able to vote in that municipality’s election.

Spouse and Children of Non-Resident Elector

If a person lives in one municipality and qualifies as a spouse of a non-resident elector, then they are able to vote in that municipality’s election.

Children of a non-resident elector are not permitted to vote in Ramara unless they are a qualified elector at another property.

Trailer Owner in Campgrounds

Trailer owners in campgrounds are tenants of the campground and are potentially eligible electors. Under a timeshare contract, to be eligible, the person must be entitled to use the land on Voting Day, or for a period of six weeks or more during the calendar year in which the election is held.

People Without Housing

Persons without a permanent residence may also qualify to be added to the Voter’s List during the revision period by submitting an application to the Clerk. If a person has no permanent residence or lodging place, the following rules apply in determining their residence:

The place to which the person most frequently returned to sleep or eat during the five weeks preceding the determination is their residence
If the person returns with equal frequency to one place to sleep and another to eat, the place to which they return to sleep is their residence
- Multiple returns to the same place during a single day, whether to eat or to sleep, shall be considered one return
A person’s affidavit regarding the places to which they returned to eat or sleep during a given time period is conclusive, in the absence of evidence to the contrary

Students

A person may have residences in two local municipalities at the same time if the person lives in one of the local municipalities in order to attend an education institution but not with the intention of changing their permanent lodging place, and the person’s permanent lodging place is in the other local municipality. Therefore, students can vote in the municipality where they attend school and they can also vote in the municipality where they live.

Check Which Ward You Live In

In the Township of Ramara, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor are elected by all eligible electors, while each Councillor is elected by the eligible electors of their respective ward. This means when you cast your ballot, you will be able to vote for the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and specific Ward Councillor based on your municipal address.

Ramara has five wards. Learn more about each ward, including the boundaries, and access a map on the Wards webpage.

Voters' Resources

Visit Elections Ontario to find out who is eligible to vote, how to vote and how you can support candidates in the election.

Candidate Eligibility

In order to run for office in Ramara, as of the date you file your nomination, you must be:

A Canadian Citizen; and
At least 18 years of age; and
An owner or tenant of land in the Township of Ramara, or the spouse of such owner or tenant; and
Not legally prohibited from voting; and
Not disqualified by any legislation from holding office.

The following people are not eligible to be elected as a Member of Council:

Any person not eligible to vote in the municipality;
An employee of the municipality unless they take an unpaid leave of absence before being nominated, and resigns, if elected to the office;
A judge of any court;
A member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, a Senator or a member of the House of Commons;
An inmate of a penal or correctional institution under sentence of imprisonment; or
Any person who by reason of any violations of the election campaign financial requirements or violations for not filling the financial statements pursuant to the Municipal Elections Act, 1996.

Additional Election Resources

Election Sign Bylaw

Municipal, school board and registered third-party advertiser election signs within the Township of Ramara must meet the requirements within the Township's Election Sign Bylaw.

Candidate Financial Statements

Pursuant to the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, Candidate Financial Statements must be filed with the municipal Clerk. The statements filed for the 2022 Ramara Election and 2024 Ramara By-Election are listed below.

2024

Ward 4 Councillor	Joe Gough
Ward 4 Councillor	Margaret Sharpe
Ward 4 Councillor	Richard Black

2024 Third Party Advertisers

Kenneth Jennings

2022

Mayor	Basil Clarke
Mayor	Marg Sharpe
Mayor	Russ Cole
Deputy Mayor	Dave Readman
Deputy Mayor	Joseph David (Joe) Gough
Deputy Mayor	Keith Bell
Ward 1 Councillor	David Snutch
Ward 1 Councillor (Withdrawn)	Mary Ailene Reed
Ward 2 Councillor	Jennifer Fisher
Ward 2 Councillor	Connie (Carrick) Laughlin
Ward 3 Councillor	William E. (Ted) Lamb
Ward 3 Councillor	Dana Tuju
Ward 4 Councillor	Gary Hetherington
Ward 4 Councillor	Glenn Harrington
Ward 4 Councillor	Richard Black
Ward 5 Councillor	Sherri Bell