Municipal Election Data Now Available on AMO Website

TORONTO, Sept. 27, 2022 /CNW/ -  The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) has worked with municipal staff from across Ontario to provide insights into the hundreds of municipal elections that will be held across Ontario on October 24. This data is now available to online at www.amo.on.ca.

In 2022, there will be 417 municipal elections, to fill a total of 2,860 council seats. Some elected officials hold seats on both local and upper tier councils, bringing the total seats to 3,266 in 444 municipalities. Nearly 60% of council seats are considered at-large, meaning they are elected by residents across the municipality. This is compared to 32% of councils where members are elected by ward and 9% that include a combination.

Compared to the 2018 election, fewer people are running for office, but more candidates are women. The number of candidates dropped by 5% or about 350 fewer people in 2022 compared to 2018. However, there are 1,931 female candidates (31%), compared to 1,808 in 2018 (27%).

Many municipalities are making it easier to vote. The number of municipalities using online or phone voting in some way increased by 24%, up to 217 from 175 in 2018.

"AMO is pleased to see more women running for municipal office, and more convenient ways to vote. AMO's We All Win campaign was designed to welcome more diverse voices to municipal discussions, and ultimately, into council chambers," said AMO Executive Director Brian Rosborough. "Municipalities provide most of the public services that people use every day. It's important for residents to be involved and engaged in healthy debate on municipal matters."

With fewer candidates, there are also more positions being acclaimed, especially in smaller, rural municipalities. This year, 548 council positions were acclaimed, including 139 mayors and reeves. Compared to 2018, total acclamations are up 15% over 2018 and up 16% for mayors and reeves (heads of council).

A total of 32 councils will be entirely acclaimed this year, 3% more than 2018, when 26 councils were acclaimed. All of the fully acclaimed municipalities in 2022 have populations of 10,000 residents or less.

AMO will add election results and more data once the 2022 municipal election is complete.

AMO is a non-profit organization representing almost all of Ontario's 444 municipal governments. AMO supports and enhances strong and effective municipal government in Ontario and promotes the value of municipal government as a vital and essential component of Ontario and Canada's political system.

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SOURCE Association of Municipalities of Ontario

Brian Lambie, AMO Media Contact, 416-729-5425, [email protected]