Ontario · Municipality of Kingsville

How to run for Mayor in Kingsville

A plain-English guide to the 2026 cycle — eligibility, deadlines, paperwork, and key local contacts for mayor candidates in Kingsville, Ontario.

Election day: Monday, October 26, 2026
Population (2021)
22,119
Head of council
1 Mayor
Term
4 years
Wards
None

Step 1

Are you eligible?

On the day you file your nomination paper for mayor in Kingsville, you must be:

  • A Canadian citizen.
  • At least 18 years old.
  • A resident of Kingsville, OR a non-resident owner or tenant of land in Kingsville (or the spouse of one).
  • Not legally disqualified from running.
Common disqualifications include sitting judges, sitting MPs / Senators / MPPs (must resign before filing), municipal employees (must take an unpaid leave or resign), and people serving a sentence in a penal institution.

Step 2

What does the mayor do?

The Mayor is the head of council in Kingsville — chairs council meetings, is the public face of the city, and votes alongside councillors on by-laws, the annual budget, and major staffing decisions.

Essex County. Mayor and Deputy Mayor both sit on Essex County Council ex officio.

RoleSeatsTermNotes
Mayor14 yrsAt-large; sits on Essex County Council
Deputy Mayor14 yrsAt-large; directly elected; sits on Essex County Council

Step 3

The nomination process

Filing happens at the City Clerk, in person during regular office hours and on nomination day until 2:00 PM. You'll need to bring:

  • Nomination paper, signed in the presence of the clerk or a commissioner of oaths.
  • 25 endorsement signatures from eligible electors of Kingsville.Municipalities with fewer than 4,000 eligible electors are exempt from the signature requirement.
  • Government-issued photo ID showing your name and qualifying address.
  • Filing fee: $200. Refundable in full if you file your campaign financial statement on time.

Where to file

Town of Kingsville Clerk's Office, 2021 Division Road North, Kingsville ON N9Y 2Y9. Filing window: Friday May 1 – Thursday August 20, 2026 during regular business hours, and Friday August 21, 2026 (Nomination Day) 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM.

Step 4

Key dates — 2026 cycle

DateEvent
May 1, 12:30 p.m.Nomination period opens
Aug 21, 6:00 p.m.Nomination period closes (last day to file)
October 26, 2026Election day
November 15, 2026New term of council begins
March 27, 2027Campaign financial statement due

Missing the financial-statement deadline can trigger automatic disqualification from running in the next cycle and forfeiture of your filing fee.

Step 5

Campaign finance

Kingsville runs under Ontario's Municipal Elections Act, 1996. The headline numbers for the 2026 cycle:

Per-individual contribution
$1,200
max from any one person to your campaign
Aggregate / additional rules
$5,000
across all candidates in the same municipality
Self + spouse contribution
lesser of $7,500 + $0.20 × eligible electors, or $25,000
combined cap
Spending limit
$7,500 + $0.85 per eligible elector
the City Clerk issues your written limit after nominations close
Corporate and union donations are banned. Cash gifts of $25 or less generally don't need to be tracked individually; anything more must be by cheque, debit, credit, money order, or e-transfer that traces to the contributor.

Local

Specific to Kingsville

  • Kingsville uses traditional in-person paper ballots and optical-scan tabulators for 2026 — distinct from neighbours like Tecumseh, which run pure internet/telephone elections. Plan GOTV around an in-person voting day.
  • Deputy Mayor is directly elected (not appointed by Council from among Councillors). Effectively two head-of-council races at once.
  • Greenhouse / agriculture economy: cannabis and greenhouse-lighting bylaws have been recurring council issues.
  • Strong-mayor powers do not apply.

Ballot

Other roles on the same ballot

Voters in Kingsville also choose:

  • Councillor — At-large
  • English Public Trustee (GECDSB) — Greater Essex County DSB
  • English Catholic Trustee (WECDSB) — Windsor-Essex Catholic DSB
  • French Public Trustee (Viamonde) — CS Viamonde
  • French Catholic Trustee (Providence) — CSC Providence

Sources

Official resources

Related guides

Also running in Kingsville?

Considering a different office? We have plain-English guides for every position on the Kingsville ballot:

This page is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. Always confirm details with the City Clerk and the most recent provincial candidate guide before filing. Last reviewed 2026-05-01.

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