How to vote in Toronto’s Oct. 26 election: hours and ID

Toronto voters can cast ballots in the municipal election on Monday, Oct. 26, between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. at their assigned voting place, the City of Toronto said.

Voters choose a mayor, a city councillor and, if they are eligible, a school board trustee. The City Clerk has certified 361 candidates: 53 for mayor, 190 for councillor and 118 for school board trustee, according to the city’s fact sheet on the election. There are 25 wards and about 2.14 million eligible voters.

Voters must vote at the place assigned to them, which is shown on the voter information card and on the city’s MyVote lookup. The city has more than 1,350 voting places for election day. School board ward boundaries can differ from city ward boundaries, so the trustee race on a ballot may not match the councillor race.

Photo ID is not necessary, the city said. Voters should bring identification showing their name and a qualifying Toronto address. The voter information card, mailed starting Sept. 28, is not required to vote and cannot be used as ID. A digital version can be shown on a mobile device. Examples of accepted identification are listed at toronto.ca/identification.

The deadline to add or update information on the voters’ list online passed at 7 p.m. on Oct. 11. Eligible voters who are not on the list can still be added in person at their voting place on election day by showing ID with their name and qualifying address. To be eligible, a person must be a Canadian citizen, at least 18 years old, and either live in Toronto or own or rent property in the city, and must vote in the ward where they live.

The deadline to return a mail-in ballot passed at noon on Oct. 14. Voters who need someone to vote on their behalf can use a proxy, but the form must be certified by the City Clerk by 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 26. Requests go to [email protected] or 311, and the proxy must be eligible to vote in Toronto’s 2026 election.

The city said all voting places are accessible on voting days. Voter Assist Terminals are at each location where they were offered in advance voting. Voters who need one at a place that does not have one can request a ballot transfer by calling 311 in advance. Braille ballot overlays are at all voting places, and voters who cannot enter a building can ask for a ballot to be brought outside or to their vehicle. Accessibility questions can go to [email protected].

Advance voting ran from Oct. 6 to Oct. 11, and 222,550 voters cast ballots, the city said in an Oct. 13 news release. That was up from 129,745 in the 2023 mayoral by-election and 124,299 in 2018.

Unofficial results will be posted at toronto.ca/election-results after voting places close on election night, the city said.

The mayoral race has been tight. Our report on a poll showing Mayor Olivia Chow and Brad Bradford in a statistical tie has the latest numbers, and our earlier look at the two-way race as Toronto votes Oct. 26 explains the field.

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