How to vote in Hamilton’s Oct. 26 election: hours, ID

Hamilton voters can cast a ballot at any voting location in their ward on Monday, Oct. 26, with polls open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and one piece of identification showing their name and home address, the city says.

Voters do not need the voter information card mailed to households this fall. The city says people will not be asked to show it at the polls. The card lists a voter’s ward and voting options, but locations are no longer assigned to individual voters.

An Ontario Health Card (photo card) or an Ontario driver’s licence are examples of acceptable ID, the city said in an Oct. 21 news release. Voters without ID will be asked to sign a Declaration of Identity. The full list of acceptable documents is on the city’s municipal election page.

To find a polling place, voters can use the Where to Vote page on hamilton.ca, which also lists accessibility features at each site, or call the elections office at 905-546-4365 or email [email protected]. Voters can check whether they are on the voters list on the same website.

The last ballot-on-demand poll at City Hall, Room 192/193 at 71 Main St. W., closes Friday, Oct. 23, after its 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. hours. There is no advance voting this weekend, and the city has said mail-in voting is not part of this election.

Voters choose a mayor and a councillor for each of the city’s 15 wards, and a school board trustee where applicable. To be eligible, a person must be a Canadian citizen, at least 18 years old, and live in Hamilton, own or rent property in the city, or be the spouse of someone who does.

Anyone who cannot leave home can appoint a trusted friend or family member as a proxy to vote in their place. Instructions are on the city’s Voter Proxy page.

Advance voting has already topped the last election. The city said 34,996 ballots had been cast in advance voting as of Oct. 21, compared with 30,893 in 2022. Our report on Hamilton’s advance vote has the ward-by-ward numbers. Overall turnout in 2022 was 35.38 per cent, with 143,375 ballots cast out of 405,288 eligible voters, CBC Hamilton reported.

Hamilton is one of several Ontario cities voting Monday. See our guides on how to vote in Toronto and in Kitchener-Waterloo. The new term of office begins Nov. 15. Hamilton’s steel sector is also in the news, after the federal industry minister gave the Stelco owner 15 days to comply or face court.

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