Volunteer Dufferin - Civic Engagement

Election Initiative 2026

October 26th 2026 is election day

for municipalities in Ontario.

As a local community organization focused on engaging residents,

We have two goals for this election:

1. Zero acclaimed seats in municipalities across Dufferin County and Caledon

2. Increased voter turnout

Opportunities to participate

To make that a reality, we have a few different tricks up our sleeve, and all of them involve our wonderful community. Want to know how to get involved? Here are a few ideas:

Consider running for council this election! If you are curious, join our Counsel on Council Mixers July 22 in Mono and July 26 in Grand Valley.
Find information from your town office. Each town has information for prospective candidates on their websites.
Participate in our sticker design contest
Attend our community gatherings and join our election task force
Talk about it! Discuss the election with your neighbours, friends and family. Encourage people you think would be great community champions to run for council. Encourage everyone you know who is eligible, to vote in October.
Follow, like, and comment on our socials
Volunteer to support someone who is running
Sign someone's endorsement papers so they can submit their nomination in your municipality
Vote!

Check out these resources from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario's Healthy Democracy Project for more inspiration.

The Municipal "I Vote" Sticker Design contest is closed!

Thank you to everyone who submitted their amazing designs to our contest. We love all the creativity, quirkiness and genius you poured into your submissions. Thank you to all those who stopped at our booths at the Blues and Jazz festival and Celebrate Your Awesome, it was such a delight to get to chat with you and spend time making art together. Public voting will be open soon! Watch this space to have your say in what design we all wear to promote voting in the 2026 municipal election!

Counsel on Council

Come chat with folks who have experience running for & sitting on municipal council. Get your questions answered about what it's really like to campaign, be on council and make change in your community. Learn more.

VOTE

October 26th 2026.

Find info from your local municipality here.

Join our Taskforce!

We've been hatching plans over here and we'd love to have you join us. This is a temporary taskforce with the aims of zero acclamations and increased voter turnout. Want to jump in and get things done? This is the group to join. Email christine@headwaterscommunities.org to find out more!

Run for Office!

Are you interested in having an impact on your local community? Would you like to work with a dedicated team that is deeply committed to supporting your community to thrive? Are you a good listener who wants to make the world a better place? Running for council might be for you. The first step is thinking about it. We've got a ton of resources if you need more information. Click this box to find out more!

Be a mentor!

Have you successfully run in an election before? Do you have some wisdom to share? We'd love to connect you with some first time candidates! Fill out this survey and share your insight. Nobody can do this alone!

Share your experience!

Encourage someone you know to run

Sometime people need reminding about how much they have to offer. Running for municipal office can be a daunting task, and having folks who encourage you can make a big difference. Tell someone you know that you think they'd make a good municipal councillor. Then tell them again, because some of us need a little more encouragement than others.

Other ideas?

We want to hear them! Email christine@headwaterscommunities.org and let us know what you think might help us get closer to our goals of zero acclamations and increased voter turnout!

We are promoting local civic engagement events and opportunities to connect. Follow, like, comment and share to expand the reach and impact of this work!