Ballots
48. (1) A clerk who is required to hold a poll under section 44 shall prepare and cause to be printed a sufficient number of ballots in the prescribed form for use in the election. Special ballots (2) The council of a municipality may by by-law, passed before nomination day, require the clerk under subsection (1) to prepare and cause to be printed a sufficient number of ballots in the prescribed form for use by visually impaired electors in the election. Nomination of candidate must be certified (3) The name of a person shall not be included in a ballot as a candidate for office unless his or her nomination as a candidate for such office has been certified by the clerk under section 40. Order of names (4) Subject to subsection (6), the names of the candidates shall be shown on a ballot in order of their surnames alphabetically arranged and, if the candidates have identical surnames, in order of their given names alphabetically arranged, with given names preceding the surnames, and with the surnames in bold type. Where addresses to be shown (5) Where there are two or more candidates for election to an office whose given and surnames are identical or so nearly identical as to create the possibility of confusion, the address, being the qualifying address within the municipality, of all candidates for election to such office shall be shown on the face of the ballot for such office immediately under their names and in sufficient detail as to identify each candidate. Nicknames and titles (6) Except as provided in subsection (5), no identification such as a title, honour, decoration or degree shall be included with any candidate’s name on a ballot to be used in an election, but a name commonly called a nickname or any other name by which a candidate is commonly known may be used on the ballot as the name or part of the name of the candidate. Space for indicating vote (7) There shall appear on the ballot to the right of each candidate’s name a circle or a circular space suitable for the marking of the ballot. Ballots for same office to be alike (8) All ballots for election to the same office shall be of the same description and as nearly alike as possible, and the names, and the addresses if given, of the candidates, the circle or circular space, the instructions referred to in subsection (9) and any lines on the ballot shall be in one colour and the remainder of the face of the ballot shall be another colour, but different colours may be used for ballots to be used for election to different offices. Number of candidates and name of office (9) A ballot shall contain instructions as to the number of candidates for which an elector may vote and the name of the office for which the election is being held. Information on ballot in regional municipalities (10) In a regional municipality, a ballot shall contain information showing the name of the office for which the election is being held and the name of any office on any other council which will be held as a result of the election to such office. Ballots re questions (11) The ballot papers for voting to obtain the assent or the opinion of electors on any by-law or question shall be in the prescribed form. R.S.O. 1990, c.M.53, s.48.