Voters

A Municipal General Election was held on Monday, October 17, 2022. Elections are held once every four years. The next Election will be held on October 19, 2026.

The City maintains an ongoing Voters List. To check if you are on the Voters List, or to enumerate, please complete the online enumeration form.

Voters Eligibility

To be eligible to vote you must be:

18 years of age;
A Canadian citizen; and
and have resided in Yellowknife for 12 consecutive months immediately preceding the day on which you vote.

How do I register to vote?

Enumeration cards will be mailed to deliverable addresses within the city in early July, 2022. Voters may complete the enumeration card and return it via postage paid return mail, or register online. Complete your enumeration by September 22, 2022 to ensure that a Vote by Mail kit is automatically mailed to you. If your information is not accurate, or you are not on the Voters List, you will not receive a ballot kit but may vote in person at a Voter Assistance Location.

Election to be Conducted by Mail-in Ballot

The Municipal Election will be conducted via Vote by Mail. Ballot kits will be mailed to all eligible voters on the Voters List. The ballot kit will include instructions on how to complete the ballot, declaration form, secrecy envelope and a postage-paid envelope. Voters may return their ballot kit by return mail, Drop Box at Yellowknife City Hall, or by bringing it to a Voter Assistance location on October 17, 2022. All ballots must be received by 7:00 p.m. on Monday, October 17, 2022. Ballots received after that time will not be counted.

*Eligible voters who do not receive a ballot kit or require voting assistance, may attend a Voter Assistance Location and be sworn in to vote or receive assistance with their ballot.

Why is the City going to a Mail in Ballot Election for this Election?

The City successfully used mail-in ballots for the 2021 referendum on borrowing for the Aquatic Centre.

After considering all options, City Administration made the decision to proceed with Mail-in ballots for the 2022 Municipal Election because it is:

Safe – the risk of community spread if there is a COVID outbreak this Fall is greatly reduced by giving voters the option of mailing their ballots in.
Accessible – ballots come to voters’ mailboxes and can be dropped off in the mail or at City Hall making it easy for voters with mobility issues.
Cost effective – the cost of mail-out ballots comes in slightly less than costs for a ‘regular’ election given the City is not hiring 75 election staff or operating 7 voting stations.
Convenient – voters have options on where and when they vote.
Flexible – voters can vote by mail in advance OR choose to go to one of the Voter Assistance Centres on Election Day to cast their vote.
Administratively effective - fewer staff are needed; hiring election staff has been a challenge over the past 2 elections (not including the referendum).

Can I still vote in person on October 17?

Yes. Voters have the convenience to mail their ballots in advance, OR drop them off in a secure ballot box at City Hall anytime up to and including Election Day OR go to a Voter Assistance Location on Election Day.

Eligible voters who do not receive a ballot kit or require voting assistance can go to one of the Voters Assistance Locations and be sworn in to vote or receive assistance with their ballot.

Am I on the Voter's List?

The City maintains an ongoing Voters List. If you are uncertain whether you are on the Voters List, or would like to update your information, please complete an online enumeration form for you and your household.

School District Enumeration

The City of Yellowknife will be enumerating voters on behalf of Yellowknife Education District No. 1 and Yellowknife Catholic Schools. You may choose to vote for either:

Yellowknife Education District No. 1 (Public)
Yellowknife Catholic Schools (Separate)

Voters Assistance Locations

There will be two Voter Assistance Locations on October 17, 2022:

Multiplex Gym 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Tree of Peace Friendship Centre Boardroom 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

A voter requiring assistance with their ballot kit, or who has not received a ballot kit, may attend one of the Voter Assistance Locations to vote.

Important Dates

September 6	Nominations Open
September 19 at 3:00 p.m.	Nominations Close
October 12 at 3:00 p.m.	Last day to Apply for Proxy Form
October 17	Election Day

Voting Hours

Voter Assistance Locations will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on October 17, 2022.

Residence

Your residence is the place you adopt as your home and to which you intend to return to when you are absent. For the purposes of the election, you may only have one residence.

Students

Students living temporarily outside of Yellowknife to advance their education, and who meet all of the eligibility requirements, maintain their status as an eligible voter. When enumerating ensure that their property address is their Yellowknife street address and their mailing address is the address they use to receive mail while living temporarily outside of Yellowknife.

Proxy Voting

If you know that you will be unable to vote by mail-in-ballot, or in person on Election Day, October 17, 2022 you may obtain an application authorizing another voter to vote on your behalf as a proxy voter. The proxy voter must meet all voter requirements. You must apply to the Returning Officer for a proxy form. You will be required to show the Returning Officer your photo identification, such as a Drivers Licence.

A person cannot:

appoint more than one proxy voter; or
act as a proxy voter for more than three (3) other persons.

The deadline to apply for a proxy form is 3:00 p.m. on October 12.

If you are already out of town, you will need to send the following documents to the Returning Officer: (you can scan the documents to cityclerk@yellowknife.ca, or fax to 867-920-5649.)

A signed letter requesting a Proxy Application*;
A copy of your Driver's Licence;*
The name of your proxy voter.

Please Note: Both you and your proxy voter will be required to sign the application form before the Returning Officer is able to finalize your request.

* required to confirm that the signatures match.

FAQ's

Can a Permanent Resident vote in the Election? No, to be eligible to vote in the Election you must have your Canadian citizenship.
Do I have to put my initials on the back of the mail-in-ballot? No, do not write your initials on the ballot, that is for use at the Voter Assistance Locations.
I put an X on my ballot instead of filling in the oval, did I spoil my ballot? No, your ballot is not spoiled as long as your mark is within one oval and does not cross the other oval.
I'm worried that I spoiled my ballot, what should I do? Take your ballot to a Voter Assistance Location on October 17, 2022 and they will confirm whether it is spoiled. If it is spoiled they will issue you a new ballot. If it is not spoiled they will accept it from you.

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