Starting Tuesday, September 1st, the City of St. Thomas reopens its voters’ list for the 2026 municipal election, giving you a fresh chance to make sure your name is on it before you can cast a ballot in October.
The city says additions and changes to the voters’ list can be made between September 1st and October 26th, right up until voting closes at 8 p.m. that night. To vote, you need to be at least 18 years old on voting day, a Canadian citizen, and either a resident of St. Thomas or an owner or tenant of land here (or the spouse of one). People serving a prison sentence, corporations, and anyone convicted of a corrupt election practice in a recent election cannot vote.
You can check whether you are on the list on the city’s voter lookup. If you are not on it, or your details need changing, an Application to Amend the Voters’ List can be downloaded from the city’s Speak Up St. Thomas election hub and handed in at the City Clerk’s Office, on Level 2 of City Hall at 545 Talbot Street, weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. City Hall is closed for Labour Day on Monday, September 7th. Bring a piece of identification. The province’s 2026 voters’ guide is also on the election hub, and Voter Information Letters carrying your voting details are set to go out by mail in late September.
The reopening lands as the ballot itself is now locked in. Nominations closed August 21st, and the city clerk certified the final list the same day. Three people are running for mayor: Aidan Frederick, Corey Janzen and Jeff Kohler. Mayor Joe Preston is not seeking another term after two terms in the job.
Nineteen people are running for St. Thomas’s eight council seats: Lori Baldwin-Sands, Mike Brisson, Gary Clarke, Chris Deslandes, Alobwedge Gibbs Diobe, Joe Docherty Jr., Rose Gibson, Sandra Hamill, Jim Herbert, Heather Jackson, Malichi Male, Geoff Mountenay, Steve Ogden, Joan Rymal, Christopher Staddon, Earl Taylor, Kay Vaughan, Steve Wookey and Kyle Yates. Seven of the city’s eight sitting councillors are seeking re-election; the eighth, Jeff Kohler, moved up to run for mayor instead.
Two English-language school board races touch St. Thomas too. For the Thames Valley District School Board’s two Elgin County trustee seats, Melissa Knott and Bob Pate were acclaimed, since only two people ran for the two open spots, so that race will not appear on the ballot. The London District Catholic School Board’s single Elgin County seat is contested, with Stephen Huver and Mary Intven Wallace both running. The French Public and French Separate school board trustee races are certified separately by the City of Sarnia and the City of Woodstock; some St. Thomas voters may be eligible to vote in those too, depending on their school support status.
When you vote, you will choose one mayor and up to eight councillors, plus a London District Catholic School Board trustee if that is your school support. Voting runs October 13th at 10 a.m. through October 26th at 8 p.m., using internet and telephone voting again this year, the same as recent elections. If you don’t have easy access to a computer or phone, the city plans tablet kiosks at limited times and locations to help.
Want to know more about who’s running before you decide? LocVox’s own Know Your Candidates page gives every registered mayoral and council candidate free, equal space for a photo, bio and their top priorities, in their own words. It’s not affiliated with the City or Elections Ontario.
Earlier coverage: Today Is the Deadline to Run for St. Thomas Mayor or Council
Sources: City of St. Thomas, “2026 Municipal Election: Nomination Period Closes, Candidates Certified,” posted Aug 21, 2026, St. Thomas Votes 2026: Election Hub
By Anthony Zruna · About the LocVox Newsroom
Update - September 6, 2026, 6:20 p.m. ET: Updated the paragraph on the voters’ list. The city has since posted the Application to Amend the Voters’ List on its election hub, along with a registration lookup; an earlier version said the form was not yet available. Added that City Hall is closed for Labour Day on September 7th.
