Elections

In Austin, there are no electoral districts. Consequently, all members of Council represent the entire population.

Austin’s Council is comprised of one Mayor and six Councillors.

The next general election will be held on November 7, 2021.

Important Dates

Candidates

Are you thinking of running for municipal office?

The ministère des Affaires municipales et de l’Habitation (MAMH) has created a comprehensive guide intended for citizens who are thinking of running for municipal office.

To be eligible for office as a member of Council, you must:

1. be entitled to have your name entered on the list of electors of the municipality (this does not mean that you must actually be entered on the list);
2. have resided, continuously or not, in the territory of the Municipality for at least 12 months on September 1^st 2021.

To be entitled to have your name entered on the list of electors, you must be an elector of the Municipality on September 1st of the year of the election, meaning:

• you are of full age (18 years old) on November 7, 2021;
• you are a natural person;
• you are a Canadian citizen;
• you are not under curatorship;
• you have not been convicted of an offence that is a corrupt electoral practice in the past 5 years;
  AND
• you meet one of the following conditions:

1. 1. you have been domiciled in the territory of the Municipality, and for at least 6 months in Quebec;
      OR
   2. you have been, for at least 12 months, the owner of an immovable or the occupant of a business establishment situated in the territory of thr Municipality.

Nomination papers will be available at Town Hall as of September 24, 2021. The deadline for filing a nomination is Friday, October 1st, 2021 at 4:30 p.m.

Electors

ELIGIBILITY

To be entitled to have your name entered on the list of electors for the 2021 general election,  you must:

• be of full age (18 years old) on November 7, 2021;
• be a natural person;
• be a Canadian citizen;
• not be under curatorship;
• not have not been convicted of an offence that is a corrupt electoral practice in the past 5 years;
  AND
• meet one of the following conditions:

1. 1. you have been domiciled in the territory of the Municipality, and for at least 6 months in Quebec;
      OR
   2. you have been, for at least 12 months, the owner of an immovable or the occupant of a business establishment situated in the territory of thr Municipality.

ENTRY ON THE MUNICIPAL LIST OF ELECTORS

Persons whose principal residence is in Austin:

Generally, persons who are domiciled in Austin (and for at least 6 months in Quebec) do not have to take any steps to have their name entered on the list of electors.

The domicile of a person, for the exercise of his civil rights, is at the place of his principal establishment.  – Civil Code of Quebec, art. 75

Voting by Mail – Domiciled persons

The Chief Electoral Officer of Quebec has introduced certain measures to ensure the safety of operations for an election held in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. One of these measures will enable those electors domiciled in Austin who are most vulnerable to vote by mail, from the safety of their home. They are:

• Electors who are unable to travel due to health reasons
• Caregivers who are domiciled at the same address as an elector who is unable to travel for health reasons
• Electors who must isolate themselves to comply with the directives of Public Health authorities

MOREOVER, because of the limited polling locations available to us and to lessen the risk of propagation of the COVID-19 virus (the pandemic situation being unpredictable), Council has extended the possibility of voting by mail to:

• electors domiciled in Austin, who are aged 70 years and over on the Election Day (November 7^th)

In all cases, an application to vote by mail must be filed with the Municipality.

Information and Registration

---

Persons whose principal residence is NOT in Austin:

Vote by Mail
To ensure the safety of operations for an election held in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, Council adopted a resolution to enable persons whose principal residence is not in Austin to vote by mail. Interested electors must register to do so by using the form corresponding to their situation (see below).

To register on the list of electors :

• If you are the sole owner of an immovable or the sole occupant of a business establishment, you must file an Application for entry (form SMRC-9.2-VA) and, if you wish to vote by mail, please complete Section 4 as well.
• If you are the co-owner of an immovable or the co-occupant of a business establishment, you must designate amongst yourselves one person whose name will be entered on the list of electors, by means of a Power of Attorney (form SMRC-9.1-VA) signed by the majority of co-owners or co-occupant. If you wish to vote by mail, please complete Section 4 as well.

The Application for entry and Power of Attorney remain in force for all future elections and referendums, unless a change occurs (i.e.: withdrawal by the elector of the application or power of attorney, move, construction of a new residence, changes to property titles, death of the designated co-owner or co-occupant designated, etc.).

IMPORTANT! Registration on the list of electors does not convey an automatic right to vote by mail. Consequently, an elector who is already registered on the list must apply anew by completing one of the above forms (according to his or her situation), including Section 4 to apply to vote by mail.

Applications for entry and Powers of attorney, duly completed and signed, must be filed at the Municipal Office at latest on October 3, 2021. Documents received after that date will be processed by the Board of Revisors.  After the work of the Board of Revisors is completed, entry on the list of electors for the 2021 general election will be denied.

Election Results

Results of the 2017 General Election

Number of electors :    1,546

Mayor’s office :
Voter turnout :              61.9 %
Valid votes :                   950
Spoiled ballots :             7