Ontario Municipal Election 2026: Everything Voters Need for October 26

Key dates for the 2026 municipal election

The province sets the rules and the dates; each municipality runs its own election through its municipal clerk. That is why advance-voting days, voting locations and whether you can vote online or by mail differ from town to town. Advance voting is already over in many municipalities (Toronto's ran from October 6 to 11), so check your clerk's website if you were planning to vote early.

What you are voting for

A municipal ballot usually has three parts:

• Head of council: mayor, reeve or warden, depending on the municipality.
• Councillors: elected by ward in most cities, or at large (by the whole municipality) in many smaller towns. You can vote only in the ward where you live.
• School board trustee: one of the four publicly funded systems (English public, English Catholic, French public, French Catholic). Which trustee ballot you get depends on your school support, not on whether you have children in school.

In two-tier areas (for example a regional municipality), you may also elect a regional councillor or regional chair. Some municipalities add a referendum question; it appears on the same ballot.

Ranked ballots are not used. Ontario removed the framework for ranked-ballot council elections in 2020 (Bill 218), so every race is decided by the candidate with the most votes.

Who can vote

To vote for council you must, on voting day, be a Canadian citizen, be 18 or older, and qualify in that municipality in one of these ways:

• Resident elector: you live in the municipality. This is how most people qualify.
• Non-resident elector: you own or rent property in a municipality where you do not live (a cottage, for example). You can vote there too.
• Spouse of a non-resident owner or tenant.

Students who live away from home for school can vote in both their "home" municipality and the municipality where they live while studying. Property held by a corporation or trust does not make its owners non-resident electors. Permanent residents cannot vote in municipal elections.

School board trustee

You are automatically eligible for the English public board unless you have changed your school support. To vote for an English Catholic trustee you must be Roman Catholic and be (or have a spouse who is) an English separate school supporter; the French boards also require French-language rights. School support is recorded by MPAC and cannot be changed at the voting place. If you only own commercial property in a municipality where you do not live, you cannot vote for trustee there.

Check that you are on the voters' list

This is the first general municipal election using the single register run by Elections Ontario, which took over the municipal voters' list from MPAC on January 1, 2024. Each municipality's list was printed on September 1, 2026 from Elections Ontario's Permanent Register of Electors. MPAC still records school support.

• The online Register to Vote deadline (August 12) has passed.
• Since September 1 you add or correct your entry through your municipal clerk, many of whom have an online lookup.
• You can still apply for a change up to the close of voting on October 26, including at your voting place.

Not receiving a voter information card does not mean you cannot vote. If you are eligible, bring ID and ask to be added.

ID you need to bring

You must show one document with your name and qualifying address. Photo ID is not required. Common examples on the provincial list include an Ontario driver's licence, an Ontario Photo Card, a utility bill, a bank or credit card statement, a lease or mortgage document, or a government cheque or statement showing your address. The full list has about 30 types of document.

A Canadian passport is not acceptable on its own because it has no printed address. If your name is already on the voters' list and you have no ID, you can sign a Declaration of Identity (Form 9) at the voting place.

How to vote: in person, online, by mail or by proxy

Each council decides which methods its residents can use, so the options vary:

• In person on voting day. Polls close at 8 p.m.; in Toronto and most cities they open at 10 a.m. Some cities let you vote at any "supervote" location, others assign you a single location.
• Internet or telephone voting. Common in smaller municipalities, which often run a voting window ending at 8 p.m. on October 26.
• Vote by mail. Offered by some municipalities; Toronto's mail-in deadline has passed.
• Proxy. You can appoint another eligible voter to vote for you using Form 3. The proxy must have the appointment certified by the clerk (in Toronto until 4:30 p.m. on voting day). Proxy voting may not be available where internet or mail voting is offered.
• Retirement and long-term care homes. Municipalities must set up voting in certain facilities.

Your clerk's website or voter card lists your options and location. In Toronto, use toronto.ca/elections.

Time off work to vote

Under the Municipal Elections Act, an eligible voter is entitled to three hours in which to vote on voting day. That does not mean three hours off work: if your shift already leaves three hours free while polls are open (for example, you finish at 5 p.m. and polls close at 8 p.m.), your employer does not need to give extra time. When time off is needed, the employer can choose when it is given, usually at the start or end of your shift. For questions about your own situation, contact your municipal clerk or the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

After the polls close

Counting starts as soon as voting closes at 8 p.m. Results announced on election night are unofficial; they become official when the clerk declares them, usually within a few days. The Act requires an automatic recount only when there is a tie. A council or school board may order a recount within 30 days of the declaration, and voters can apply to the Superior Court of Justice. If a tie remains after a recount, the winner is chosen by lot.

Where only one candidate was certified for an office by 4 p.m. on August 24, that person was already elected by acclamation and the office does not appear on the ballot. The new term runs from November 15, 2026 to November 14, 2030.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Bringing only a passport. Add a document with your address.
• Assuming the provincial or federal voting place. Municipal locations are set by the clerk and are often different.
• Waiting for a card. You can be added to the list at the voting place with proper ID.
• Leaving it to the last minute. Voting closes at 8 p.m. everywhere, and internet and phone voting windows end at the time your municipality has set. Lines are longest in the early evening.
• Cottage owners: you may vote in both municipalities, but you must vote separately in each (check each clerk's methods).