- A Canadian citizen; and
- At least 18 years of age; and
- An owner or tenant of land in the Region of Waterloo; or
- A spouse of a resident, owner, or tenant of land in the Region of Waterloo; and
- Not prohibited from voting under any law.
- For further information please consult the Ministry of Municipal Affairs.
Elections
Municipal elections in Ontario are held every four years on the fourth Monday of October. The upcoming municipal election is being held on Monday, October 26, 2026.
For Regional offices, residents are asked to vote for one or more Regional Councillors in the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo. The Region's four townships are represented by their respective mayors. Following the adoption of the Better Regional Governance Act, 2026, on May 7, 2026 the Regional Chair is now a Provincially appointed position and will not appear on the ballot.
Please contact regionalclerk@regionofwaterloo.ca if you have any questions.
- Serving a sentence of imprisonment in a penal or correctional institution; or
- A corporation; or
- Acting as executor or trustee or in another representative capacity, except as a voting proxy; or
- Convicted of a corrupt practice described in Section 90(3) of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996.
Section 2(2.1) of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, permits post-secondary students to vote in both the Region of Waterloo municipal election and the municipal election conducted in their "home" municipality, provided they are residing in the Region of Waterloo to attend a post-secondary institution and intend to return to their "home" municipality at the conclusion of their studies.
Summary of the nomination process
The nomination period for 2026 opens on Friday, May 1, 2026 and ends Friday, August 21, 2026 at 2 p.m. Feel free to book an appointment by emailing regionalclerk@regionofwaterloo.ca or drop-in.
All individuals wishing to register as a candidate for the 2026 election must file their nomination papers within this timeframe.
The prescribed nomination forms which includes the requirement for 25 supporting signatures will be available on the Ministry of Municipal Affairs website.
Registered third parties are a requirement in the 2026 municipal election. Third parties are required to register with the clerk of the local municipality in which the campaign will run. Third party campaigns related to the office of the Regional Chair must be registered in each of the local municipalities. For further information please consult the Ministry of Municipal Affairs.
If an eligible elector believes, on reasonable grounds, a candidate has contravened the rules of the Municipal Elections Act relating to election campaign finances, he or she can request a compliance audit of the candidate's finances. Additional information and/or requests for a compliance audit will be made available in Fall 2026.
The Sign by-law was amended in 2021 to prohibit the placing of election signs on Regional Roads.
For more information, please visit our full Nomination Process webpage. You can also contact the clerk's office.
For information regarding elections for Mayor, City or Township Councillors, and School Board Trustees, or to verify if you are eligible to vote and where you can vote, please contact your area municipality:
- City of Cambridge
- City of Kitchener
- City of Waterloo
- Township of North Dumfries
- Township of Wilmot
- Township of Wellesley
- Township of Woolwich
If this website does not answer your questions about the election process, please visit the Ministry of Municipal Affairs website, or contact the ministry at 1-800-265-4736.
