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Privacy & security of personal information

Elections Ontario is required by law to maintain three registers for voting in Ontario: the Permanent Register of Electors for Ontario, the Register of Absentee Voters  and the Ontario Register of Future Voters. 

As of January 1, 2024, the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, requires the Chief Electoral Officer of Ontario to provide preliminary lists of electors derived from the Permanent Register of Electors for Ontario to municipal clerks for the purpose of conducting municipal, district social services administration boards (DSSAB) and some school board elections. Municipal, DSSAB and school board elections are not administered by Elections Ontario. They continue to be the responsibility of municipal clerks, DSSABs and some school boards.

Personal information is collected under the authority of the Election Act, Election Finances Act, Employment Standards Act, 2000 and/or other legislation. This information is used for electoral purposes and may be used to conduct election research. For more information, contact priv@elections.on.ca.

Find more information in our privacy policy.

Pursuant to section 17.4 of the Election Act, electors’ personal information is used for election purposes only and cannot be used for commercial purposes. We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties. Personal information collected by Elections Ontario may be used:

Updates are made to the Permanent Register of Electors for Ontario on an ongoing basis using information from federal, provincial and municipal data sources, such as the National Register of Electors maintained by Elections Canada, and/or other sources, and through direct updates from electors, including updates through Voter Registration.

The Chief Electoral Officer of Ontario (CEO) is permitted under the Election Act to provide information from the voters list to:

  • the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada; 
  • any municipality in Ontario and its local boards;
  • Members of the Provincial Parliament;
  • registered political parties; and
  • candidates

The Guidelines for the Use of Electoral Products explains what information is shared, when it is shared, how recipients are authorized to use it and their responsibilities for safeguarding voter information.

The Chief Electoral Officer of Ontario may, on the written request of a voter and subject to approval, redact from any record made available to political entities, data partners and to the public, any information that the Chief Electoral Officer reasonably believes would, if made available, endanger the life, health or security of the elector.

To request a redaction of information, please email priv@elections.on.ca or write to:

Elections Ontario 
Attn: Chief Privacy Officer
26 Prince Andrew Place 
Toronto, Ontario
M3C 2H4