Elections

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. For the Grant of Poll Notice, see pdf here (36 KB) .

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.

Electronic voting allows you to vote ANYTIME from Thursday, October 8 starting at 12:00 noon until Saturday, October 17 ending at 7:00 p.m.

Internet voting: lunenburgtown.isivote.com

Telephone voting: 1-888-356-4164*

*IMPORTANT ERROR NOTICE: The Town of Lunenburg has been notified that there is an incorrect phone number for telephone voting in the Voter Instruction Letters. Update cards will be mailed to all voters on the Town's List of Electors. Rather than 1-866-111-2222, the CORRECT number for telephone voting is: 1-888-356-4164. Internet voting information in the letter is correct.

List of Candidates (in alphabetical order)

Click here for a full list of Candidate Contacts and Links (Facebook pages, etc.) for the convenience of our electors.

Mayor - you may vote for one (1) candidate

1. John McGee	This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
2. Matt Risser	This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Councillors - you may vote for not more than six (6) candidates

1. Ronnie Bachman	This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
2. John Barr	This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
3. Jenni Birtles	This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
4. Kevin Corkum	This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
5. Melissa Duggan	This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
6. Stephen Ernst	This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
7. Ed Halverson	This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
8. Theo Heffler	This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
9. Peter Mosher	This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
10. Susan Sanford	This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

NOTE: The Lunenburg Board of Trade hosted a Meet the Candidates Forum on October 8, 2020. The video of that event can be seen here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1533193006872366

INFORMATION FOR VOTERS

Voter Instruction Letter

All those on the List of Electors should now have received a Voter Instruction 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. Please contact the Voter HelpLine if you did not receive your letter.

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 - see below.

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

pdf 2020 eVote Common Questions (645 KB)

Video: Voting Demo (duration 3 1/2 min)

Voter HelpLine

1-833-679-1609 - Hours of operation:

Thu, October 8, 2020 - 12 noon to 7:00 pm
Fri, October 9, 2020 - 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Sat, October 10, 2020 - 12 noon to 7:00 pm
Tue, October 13, 2020 - 8:30 am to 7:00 pm
Wed, October 14, 2020 - 8:30 am to 7:00 pm
Thu, October 15, 2020 - 8:30 am to 7:00 pm
Fri, October 16, 2020 - 8:30 am to 7:00 pm
Sat, October 17, 2020 - 8:00 am to 7:00 pm

In-person Polling Station

Town Hall (via iPad) - Hours of operation:

Thu, October 8, 2020 - First advance poll - 12:00 noon to 8:00 pm
Tue, October 13, 2020 - Second advance poll - 12:00 noon to 8:00 pm
Sat, October 17, 2020 - Election day - 8:00 am to 7:00 pm

Eligibility to Vote

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

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

List of Electors

TAKE NOTE THAT The Preliminary List of Electors for the Town of Lunenburg Municipal Election on October 17, 2020 has been prepared using the Nova Scotia Register of Electors.

To ensure your name is on the List of Electors or if you did not receive your Voter Letter, you can telephone Heather McCallum, Revising Officer/Assistant Returning Officer at the Town Office, 119 Cumberland Street, Lunenburg, during regular business hours AND on Election Day at (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 Patrick Burke, Returning Officer at (902) 634-8354 or email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), or in-person at 28 King Street - by appointment ONLY. 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.

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

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.

Election Officers

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. At the Town Council Meeting of September 8, 2020, Town staff Katie MacMillan, Business/Purchasing Coordinator, was appointed as an additional Assistant Returning Officer.

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

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.