The 2022 London, Ont., municipal election is officially underway after city hall began accepting nominations on Monday.
Candidates have until Aug. 19 to file nominations for the role of mayor, one of London’s 14 ward councillors or trustee for one of the four school boards that cover London.
Those running for mayor or city council are also required to pay a filing fee and submit a form with signatures from 25 eligible voters who support their nomination.
Candidates must file in person, as no electric option is available for nomination filing.
Incumbent Ward 12 Coun. Elizabeth Peloza was one of the first candidates to arrive at city hall, having shown up just over an hour after nominations opened.
“It’s important to me, so here first thing in the morning. Get the kids on the bus and this was next on my to-do list,” Peloza said.
While it will be her second time running for municipal office, this year marks Peloza’s first time in a first-past-the-post election and she expects it will make for a different campaign.
A supporter of ranked ballots, which London used in the 2018 municipal election, Peloza says that voting system previously allowed her to support other candidates running in her ward who may have a similar platform or ideology.
“Those conversations might be a little bit less friendly at the door … this time. I don’t want to be your second choice, I have to be your first choice,” Peloza said.
Incumbent Ward 2 Coun. Shawn Lewis was also among the handful of candidates filing nominations on Monday morning and looks to get a head-start on all the logistics that come with a municipal campaign.
“You have to open your bank account, start your fundraising, get your website up to date, do all of those things that can’t happen until you file,” Lewis said.
“Filing today gives me an opportunity to do a lot of that background work over the next couple of weeks while the provincial campaign is happening, so that when the provincial campaign wraps up, I’m ready to go.”
Deputy city clerk Sarah Corman says preparation for London’s return to first-past-the-post voting has been underway for about a year.
“We’re switching all our communication materials, all our materials at the polls, so it’s been an undertaking, but we’re getting there,” Corman said.
A list of candidates is available on the City of London’s website and it will be updated each day before 4 p.m.
Starting Monday, third-party advertisers are also allowed to register for this year’s election campaign.
There are a few dates for London voters to keep in mind before voting day.
Londoners have until Sept. 30 to request to vote by mail, a move that city officials are encouraging due to uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. To make voting by mail easier, the city will also be setting up community ballot drop boxes outside city hall and several local community centres.
Advance polling will take place on Oct. 8 and then again Oct. 11 through Oct. 15.
Voting day is set for Oct. 24.
In the meantime, the provincial election campaign is expected to start this week with Ontarians hitting the polls on June 2.
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