Ontario · Municipality of Tillsonburg

How to run for Mayor in Tillsonburg

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

Election day: Monday, October 26, 2026
Population (2021)
18,615
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 Tillsonburg, you must be:

  • A Canadian citizen.
  • At least 18 years old.
  • A resident of Tillsonburg, OR a non-resident owner or tenant of land in Tillsonburg (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 Tillsonburg — chairs council meetings, is the public face of the city, and votes alongside councillors on by-laws, the annual budget, and major staffing decisions.

Oxford County. The Mayor sits on Oxford County Council ex officio. Tillsonburg's Deputy Mayor is not an Oxford County Councillor (Oxford's structure puts only the Mayors of each member municipality plus two City of Woodstock councillors on County Council). A 2024 review heard requests to add a second Tillsonburg representative — not implemented.

RoleSeatsTermNotes
Mayor14 yrsAt-large; sits on Oxford County Council
Deputy Mayor14 yrsAt-large

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 Tillsonburg.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 Tillsonburg, Customer Service Centre / Clerk's Office, 10 Lisgar Avenue, Tillsonburg ON N4G 5A5. Clerk's Services, 519-688-3009, <[email protected]>. By appointment.

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

Tillsonburg 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 Tillsonburg

  • Oxford County uses a unique two-tier model: County Council = Mayors of the 8 area municipalities + 2 directly-elected City of Woodstock representatives. Most Oxford lower-tier municipalities (incl. Tillsonburg) only have one County voice.
  • Boundary-expansion politics: Town of Tillsonburg has been pursuing a boundary expansion into surrounding South-West Oxford and Bayham — recurring campaign issue, especially for rural-bordering candidates.
  • Voting method: confirm 2026 by-law before campaign launch (Tillsonburg historically uses a hybrid of internet voting + in-person help centre).

Ballot

Other roles on the same ballot

Voters in Tillsonburg also choose:

  • Councillor — At-large
  • English Public Trustee (TVDSB) — Thames Valley DSB
  • English Catholic Trustee (LDCSB) — London District Catholic SB
  • French Public Trustee (Viamonde) — CS Viamonde
  • French Catholic Trustee (Providence) — CSC Providence

Sources

Official resources

Related guides

Also running in Tillsonburg?

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