Town of Lunenburg

  • 119 Cumberland Street, P.O. Box 129
  • Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada B0J 2C0
  • Phone: (902) 634-4410 Fax: (902) 634-4416
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Election

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Town of Lunenburg 2020 election is being conducted by ELECTRONIC VOTE (internet and telephone) ONLY. There is NO voting by paper ballot.

Election 2020

The date of the next municipal election is Saturday, October 17, 2020. The Town of Lunenburg elects a Mayor and six Councillors-at-large.

At the Town Council Meeting of November 26, 2019, Patrick A. Burke, Q.C., of Burke, Macdonald & Luczak Barristers and Solicitors was appointed the 2020 Municipal Election Returning Officer. Town staff Bea Renton, CAO, and Heather McCallum, Assistant Municipal Clerk, have been appointed Assistant Returning Officers.

Individuals are qualified to vote in these elections if they are:

  • 18 years of age or older on the 1st Advance Polling Day;
  • a Canadian citizen by the 1st Advance Polling Day;
  • ordinarily resident in the Province of Nova Scotia for a period of six months immediately before the 1st Advance Polling Day; and
  • they are ordinarily resident in the Town of Lunenburg and have been so since immediately before the 1st Advance Polling Day. The First Advance Polling Day has been determined by Council to be Thursday, October 8, 2020. 

See the bottom of this page for a link to the Town's Alternative Voting Bylaw, applicable to the 2020 Election.

Information for Voters

List of Electors

TAKE NOTE THAT The Preliminary List of Electors for the Town of Lunenburg Municipal and Conseil scolaire acadien provincial School Board elections on October 17, 2020 has been prepared using the Nova Scotia Register of Electors. 

To ensure your name is on the List of Electors, you can telephone Heather McCallum, Revising Officer at the Town Office, 119 Cumberland Street, Lunenburg, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on August 12, 13, and 14 by telephone (902-634-4410, ext. 240) or email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

To make additions, deletions and corrections to the List of Electors, please contact Heather McCallum, Revising Officer. The Revising Officer may make additions, deletions, or corrections to the lists upon application by:

  • telephone (902-634-4410, ext. 240);
  • fax (902-634-4416);
  • email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.);
  • mail (P.O. Box 129, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, B0J 2C0, Attention Heather McCallum); or
  • in person at the Town Office at 119 Cumberland Street, Lunenburg, on August 17, 18 and 19 between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. (please call ahead for an appointment).

All inquiries are to be received by 4:00 p.m. on August 19, 2020.

You will be asked for your name, your home address, your date of birth and may be asked for identification. You may be asked for proof of your current address.

Voter Information Letter

All those on the List of Electors will receive a Voter Information Letter in the mail prior to the Election Period. This will include the Personal Identification Number (PIN) you will need to vote, along with instructions on how to do so. Please retain this letter as you will require the information in it to vote.

Using your PIN and your date of birth, you will be able to vote ANYTIME from Thursday, October 8 starting at 12:00 noon until Saturday, October 17 ending at 7:00 p.m. Please note that proxy votes are not permitted in an all-electronic election.

The letter will also contain the number and hours of a Voter HelpLine.

If you require in-person assistance, there will be one polling station with a computer available in Town Hall during the dates below. You are encouraged to vote remotely via internet or telephone if at all possible.

Key Dates

  • October 8, 2020 - First advance poll
  • October 13, 2020 - Second advance poll
  • October 17, 2020 - Election day

Information for Candidates

Key Dates

  • March 7, 2020 - Residency required to qualify as a candidate
  • September 8, 2020 - Nomination day (nominations can be filed in the seven business days prior)
  • September 9, 2020 - Last day for a candidate to withdraw

Resources

The pdf Candidate's Guide to Municipal Elections (409 KB) prepared by the Nova Scotia Department of Municipal Affairs is now available.

The Dalhousie Campaign School website, including online information sessions, is: https://yourdecision.ca/

The Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities candidate advice page is: https://www.nsfm.ca/election-2020-info.html

Nominations Open - Municipal and CSAP School Board Elections

TAKE NOTICE that nominations will be accepted for the following offices in (or including) the Town of Lunenburg for which an election will be held on the 17th day of October, 2020.

  • Mayor (Town of Lunenburg)
  • Six (6) Councillors elected at large (Town of Lunenburg)
  • One (1) Conseil scolaire acadien provincial (CSAP) Member for the South Shore District

AND TAKE NOTICE THAT Town of Lunenburg Nomination forms for Mayor or Councillor are available and must be filed at the office of the Returning Officer, Patrick A. Burke, Q.C., Burke, Macdonald & Luczak, Barristers & Solicitors, 28 King Street, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on nomination day (Tuesday September 8, 2020) or by appointment during office hours (8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.) on August 27th, 28th, and 31st and September 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, 2020. Candidates: Information Packages are now available at the office of the Returning Officer, Patrick A. Burke, Q.C.

Qualifications to be elected as Mayor or Councillor are: Canadian citizen and 18 years of age at the time of nomination; ordinary resident in the Town of Lunenburg for a period of six (6) months preceding nomination day (September 8, 2020) and continues to so reside; has obtained a Certificate in the prescribed form that as of September 8, 2020 all taxes (and charges that are liens on the person’s property) due to the Town have been paid; and is not disqualified under the Municipal Elections Act.

For more information, please contact Patrick A. Burke, Q.C., Returning Officer, 28 King Street, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia (902-634-8354). Nomination papers are available at the office of the Returning Officer. Candidates Information Packages are now available at the office of the Returning Officer, Patrick A. Burke, Q.C.

AND TAKE NOTICE that Electors in the Municipalities of the Region of Queens, District of Chester, District of Lunenburg, Towns of Mahone Bay, Lunenburg and Bridgewater will elect one person to be a member of the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial. Nominations for that office shall be filed at the office of the Returning Officer, Amanda Shupe, located at 60 Pleasant Street (Bridgewater Town Hall), Bridgewater, Nova Scotia between 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Nomination Day (Tuesday September 8, 2020) of by appointment in the 7 business days preceding Nomination Day (August 27, 28, 31, September 1, 2, 3 and 4, 2020) between the hours of 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.). Appointments can be made by calling 902-541-4389. Candidates: Information Packages are now available at the office of the Returning Officer, Amanda Shupe.

Dated at Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, this 15th day of July, 2020.

Patrick A. Burke, Q.C., Town of Lunenburg, Returning Officer

Town of Lunenburg Alternative Voting Bylaw

On July 28, 2020, Lunenburg Town Council gave second and final reading of (and passed) an Alternative Voting Bylaw. The purpose of the bylaw is to provide that during Municipal and CSAP Elections, voting may take place by telephone or via the internet (or a combination of both). Under the proposed bylaw, voting by telephone and/or internet shall be permitted on days (fixed by Resolution of Council) and Council may by resolution provide that voting by telephone and by personal computing device (via the internet) shall be the only means of voting for an election.

The bylaw may be read on the Town Website here: pdf Alternative Voting Bylaw (343 KB)

For more information, please contact Patrick A. Burke, Q.C., Returning Officer,  Town of Lunenburg – Phone: 902-634-8354 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Council has also resolved on July 28, 2020 that voting by telephone and by personal computing device (via the internet) shall be the only means of voting for the 2020 Municipal and CSAP Elections.

Municipal Elections Act

Elections are under the jurisdiction of the Nova Scotia Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing. For more information, visit their website here.

Read the provincial legislation here.