Elections | Hanover

2026 Municipal Election

The Municipal and School Board Elections are facilitated by the office of the Town Clerk. Please review this page for an overview of voter information, previous election results, financial statements and more.

On this page:
1. Voter Information
2. List of Certified Candidates
3. Updating School Support Designation
4. Candidate Information
5. Third Party Advertiser Information
6. Election Notices
7. Compliance Audit Committee
8. Additional Information and Resources
9. Previous Municipal Elections Information

1. Voter information

Not sure if you're a valid municipal voter? Please review the information below to gain insight into the municipal election process in the Town and to confirm that you're on the list of registered voters. For more information, please contact the Town office.

Voter Information

By voting in the municipal election, you are selecting representatives who will determine the priorities and direction of the Town. You have the right to vote in municipal elections in the Town if on election day:

You are a Canadian citizen;
You are 18 years of age or older; and
You reside in, own, or are a tenant of land in the Town of Hanover, or are the spouse of such a person.
Not be prohibited from voting according to Section 17 of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996.

Note: property must be personally owner or rented to vote in that municipality. Properties owned by a business or trust do not qualify.

University and College Students:

Section 2 (2.1) of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 allows post-secondary students to vote in both the municipal election where they are attending school and the municipal election in their "home" municipality, provided they are residing in another municipality to attend a post-secondary institution and intend to return to their "home" municipality at the conclusion of their studies.

Voting Methods

Voter Help Centres

Two Help Centre’s will be provided during the Voting Period to assist with voting as follows:

Municipal Administration Office
341 10th Street, 2nd Floor, Hanover
Friday, October 16 to Monday, October 26, 2026
During Regular Office Hours (Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm)
Hanover Public Library
451 10th Avenue, Lower Level, Hanover
Friday, October 16 to Monday October 26, 2026
During Regular Library Hours
Additional Help Centre Hours as follows:
Municipal Administration Office
Tuesday, October 20 – 4:30pm to 8:00pm
Saturday, October 24 – 10:00am to 2:00pm
Monday, October 26 – 8:30am to close of voting at 8:00pm

For the purpose of this election, a voting place is not required.

Voting Requirements

Voters need to have a Voter Information Letter and one form of acceptable identification in order to vote.

The Voter Information Letter will be mailed to you in October. This letter will have your instructions and your unique Personal Identification Number required to log into the internet election site or onto the telephone election platform.

If you do not receive a Voter Information Letter in October, please visit the Town office with identification to confirm your registration status and receive your letter.

To view a listing of acceptable identification, please see the Voter Identification tab below.

Voter Identification

Understanding Ontario Regulation 304/03, Voter Identification from the Municipal Elections Act, 1996

For more detailed information of this regulation, please visit O. Reg. 304/13 VOTER IDENTIFICATION | ontario.ca

What kind of identification works

You need to bring one document that shows both:

your name
your qualifying residential address (where you live or the address that qualifies you as a voter)

This document must be original, or a properly certified copy.

Examples of acceptable documents

Some of the many types of documents you can use include:

An Ontario driver’s licence
Ontario Photo Card or Ontario Health Card (if it shows name and address)
Ontario motor vehicle permit (the portion listing address)
A cancelled personalized cheque
A mortgage statement, lease or rental agreement for a property in Ontario
A utility bill — for example, electricity, water, gas, phone or cable/tv bill
A bank or credit card statement, or other financial statements (for example, savings account, RRSP, etc.)
A document issued by a government body (Canadian, Ontario, or municipal) that shows your name & address
A notice of property-tax assessment
Government benefit statements (like for pension, disability support, etc.)
A document showing residence in a long-term care home, student residence, or an institution (if applicable)

What happens if you don’t have acceptable identification

If you don’t have one of the accepted documents, there’s another option: you can fill out a “Declaration of Identity” form. That can still allow you to vote.

Why this matters

The rule helps make sure only eligible people — people who can prove they are who they say they are, and who really live (or qualify) at the address they claim — get to vote.
It helps keep municipal elections fair and legitimate.

2. List of Certified Candidates

An official list of certified candidates for the 2026 election can be found here: Certified Candidates

Mayor

Deputy Mayor

Councillor

Siobhan Hanley
519.506.5657
siobhanahanley@gmail.com

Dave Hocking
519.378.6466
davehocking7@gmail.com

Carol Hudson
519.364.5630
carol.hudson2212@gmail.com

Brandon Koebel
519.889.2142
bdkoebel@gmail.com

Mandie Malott
226.349.2595
mandie.malott@gmail.com

Daniel Parrish
519.540.8503
daniel.parrish.on@gmail.com

Alina Rehkopf
AlinaforHanover@protonmail.com

* The above noted individual(s) have filed all necessary papers, declarations and fees

Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board Trustee

Bluewater District School Board Trustee

Trustee Conseil scolaire Viamonde (French Public School Board)

Trustee Conseil scolaire Catholique Providence (French Separate School Board)

3. Updating School Support Designation

Property owners in Ontario must designate support for a school system, even if they do not have children or children currently attending school. This designation appears on your Property Assessment Notice.

Homeowners and tenants should review their school support designations, and if needed, update them by June 1, 2026 by visiting the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) Online School Support Tool.

4. Candidate Information

Nominations for the 2026 Municipal Election closed on Friday, August 21, 2026 at 2 p.m.

Eligibility

To run as a candidate in a municipal election, you must:

Be a Canadian citizen and at least 18 years old.
Be qualified to vote in the municipality by:
- living in the municipality, or
- owning or renting property in the municipality, or
- being the spouse of somebody who owns or rents property in the municipality.
Not be prohibited from holding municipal office according to Section 29 of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996.

Nomination Requirements

Candidates must file nomination papers prior to receiving any campaign contributions and/or expending any funds on a campaign. A person may be nominated for an office by filing a nomination in the Clerk’s Office, in person or by an Agent.

Every person running for municipal council in a municipality that has more than 4,000 electors, must also submit endorsement signatures from 25 people who are eligible to vote in the municipality. As Hanover has more than 4,000 electors, the Endorsement of Nomination – Form 2 must be submitted with the required 25 signatures.

A person who is eligible to vote in the municipality may provide endorsements to as many candidates as they choose and may endorse candidates for any office on the municipal council.

If you submit 25 endorsement signatures and find out later that a person (or persons) was not eligible to vote on the day that they signed the endorsement, you will not lose your nomination. The person who supplied false information (by declaring that they were eligible to endorse your nomination when they were not eligible) could be subject to prosecution.

Nomination Paper – Form 1 and Endorsement of Nomination – Form 2 will be available at the Town office from Friday May 1, 2026 to Thursday August 20, 2026 during regular office hours from 8:30am to 4:30pm, and between 8:30am and 2:00pm on Friday August 21, 2026 (Nomination Day), and on the website for the following offices:
(1) Mayor
(1) Deputy Mayor
(5) Councillor

Nomination papers for school boards must be obtained and filed at the appropriate Municipal Office (to be determined) for the following offices:
(1) School Board Trustee – English Public
(1) School Board Trustee – English Separate
(1) School Board Trustee – French Public
(1) School Board Trustee – French Separate

Nominations must be filed with the Clerk in the following manner:

in person or through an agent, using the prescribed forms (Nomination Paper – Form 1 & Endorsement of Nomination – Form 2);
book an appointment by emailing civic@hanvoer.ca or phone at 519.364.2780 for during regular office hours (8:30am to 4:30pm) at the Town office from Friday May 1, 2026 to Thursday August 20, 2026 and between 8:30am and 2:00pm on Friday August 21, 2026 (Nomination Day);
with the prescribed nomination filing fee of $200 for Head of Council and $100 for all other offices – the filing fee shall be paid by cash, debit card, certified cheque or money order payable to the municipality and will be refunded if the candidate is elected, withdraws their nomination and files their financial statements with the Clerk by 2:00pm on March 31, 2026;
with proof of identity and residence as prescribed in O. Reg. 304/13; and
no faxed or other electronically transmitted nomination paper will be accepted – original signatures are required.

Role of Council and Head of Council

Section 224 of the Municipal Act, 2001 outlines the following responsibilities for the role of a Councillor:

To represent the public and to consider the well-being and interests of the municipality;
To develop and evaluate the policies and programs of the municipality;
To determine which services the municipality provides;
To ensure that administrative policies, practices and procedures and controllership policies, practices and procedures are in place to implement the decisions of council;

(d.1) To ensure the accountability and transparency of the operations of the municipality, including the activities of the senior management of the municipality;

To maintain the financial integrity of the municipality; and
To carry out the duties of Council under this or any other act.

Councillors also sit as members of Baords/Committees. These committees provide Council with recommendations. As a member of council you would be required to attend meetings of the committees on which you are a member, and also to attend meetings of the full Municipal Council.

Section 225 of the Municipal Act, 2001 outlines the following responsibilities for the role of the Head of Council (Mayor):

To act as the chief executive officer of the municipality;
To preside over Council meetings so that its business can be carried out efficiently and effectively;
To provide leadership to the Council; (c.1) Without limiting clause (c), to provide information and recommendations to the Council with respect to the role of Council described in clauses 224 (d) and (d.1);
To represent the municipality at official functions; and
To carry out the duties of a head of Council under this or any other Act

The Mayor and Deputy Mayor also sit as members of Grey County Council and would be required to attend County Council meetings.

Meetings

The Council of the Town of Hanover meets in the Council Chambers located on the 2nd floor at the Civic Centre, 341 10th Street, Hanover on the first and third Monday of every month at 4:00pm. Council meets on a reduced schedule during July and August.

Council Members may also be members of Boards and/or Committees during their term. These appointments are made at the beginning of the term in consultation with individual members and the Mayor.

The Mayor and Deputy Mayor from each of the nine member municipalities of Grey County make up County Council. The Warden is elected by council each year as the leader of County Council.
Grey County uses a Committee of the Whole governance structure. County Council meets on the second and fourth Thursday of the month immediately followed by a Committee of the Whole meeting.

Resources

5. Third Party Advertiser Information

The Section 88.4 of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 includes a framework for third party advertising. A third party advertiser is any individual, corporation or trade union that causes an election campaign advertisement to appear. Third party advertising is separate from any candidate’s campaign and must be done independently from a candidate. All third party advertisers are required to register with the Town Clerk.

Registration for third party advertisers opens beginning May 1, 2026. Your registration must be filed in person or by an agent at the Town office.

If you want to advertise in more than one municipality, you must register in each municipality where you want to advertise.

Eligibility

You are eligible to register as a third party advertiser if you are:

An individual who is normally a resident in Ontario;
A corporation that carries on business in Ontario; or
A trade union that holds bargaining rights for employees in Ontario.

You are not eligible to register as a third party advertiser if you are:

A candidate whose nomination has been filed under Section 33 of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996;
A federal political party registered under the Canada Elections Act or any federal constituency association or registered candidate at a federal election endorsed by that party;
A provincial political party, constituency association, registered candidate or leadership contestant registered under the Election Finances Act; or
The Crown in right of Canada or Ontario, a municipality or local board.

Registration Details

An individual, corporation, or trade union may file a notice of registration with the Clerk to be a registered third party advertiser for the election between May 1, 2026, and October 23, 2026, at the Town office during regular business hours (Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.).

The prescribed Notice of Registration - Third Party - Form 7 issued by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing must include a declaration of qualification signed by the individual or by a representative of the corporation or trade union, as the case may be. The prescribed notice can be accessed below.

Third party advertisers are encouraged to book an appointment with the Clerk to submit their registration. To book an appointment please email civic@hanover.ca or call 519-364-2780.

Until the Clerk certifies your registration, a third party advertiser may not incur campaign expenses, accept contributions or begin advertising.

Third Party Advertisements

A third party advertisement is an advertisement in any broadcast, print, electronic or other medium that supports, promotes or opposes a candidate, or supports, promotes or opposes a “yes” or “no” answer to a question on the ballot.

Third party advertising does not include issues-based advertising, so groups that do public outreach can continue their issues-based advocacy work throughout the municipal election period.

Activities that do not involve spending money, such as discussions or expressing an opinion about a candidate will not be considered to be third party advertising. Examples include:

speaking to friends and neighbours
posting on social media
sending an email to a group or mailing list

Internal communications from an employer to their employees, a corporation to its shareholders, directors, members or employees, or by a trade union to its members or employees will not be considered to be third party advertising.

Resources

6. Election Notices

Notices for the 2026 election will be posted here as they become available.

1. List of Certified Candidates

7. Compliance Audit Committee

The Municipalities of Grey County are recruiting experienced professionals for appointment to
the Grey County Compliance Audit Committee (GCCAC) for the 2026 Municipal Election.

Purpose of the Joint Compliance Audit Committee:
A compliance audit committee makes decisions on applications for compliance audits of campaign finances for candidates and third party advertisers in a municipal election or by-election.

The committee also considers reports from municipal clerks that identify contributors who appear to have contravened election contribution limits.

Joint Committee for Grey County Municipalities
Section 88.37 of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 requires all municipalities to establish a compliance audit committee of not fewer than three members and not more than seven members. The municipalities of Grey County are establishing a joint committee of members who will serve on retainer and from whom sub-committees (Sitting Committees) will be established to address each application for a compliance audit and each instance of identified over-contribution.

Applicant Qualifications

Term and Payment

The GCCAC will be established by October 1, 2026 and continue until 2030. Successful applicants will receive a retainer of $1,000 for the four-year term, which will include one mandatory training session and any preparation/review required.

If a Sitting Committee needs to convene, a per-meeting remuneration of $200 for meetings under 4 hours and $300 for meetings more than 4 hours (plus mileage) will also be provided.

Terms of Reference & Rules of Procedure

Application Process

8. Additional Information and Resources

Information and resources will be added as they become available.

9. Previous Municipal Elections Information

2022 Municipal Election Information

2018 Municipal Election Information