Toronto’s municipal election is on Monday, October 26, and the machinery around it is already running. Registration checks opened on September 1, mail-in ballot requests close on September 24, and the City Clerk has certified 361 candidates for mayor, council and school board seats.
If you plan to vote by mail, the request deadline is the one to circle. It is earlier than most people expect.
The dates that matter
- September 1: voters can confirm, add or update their information on the voters’ list
- September 14: vote-by-mail packages start going out
- September 20: voter information cards are mailed to registered voters
- September 24 at 4:30 p.m.: last chance to request a mail-in ballot
- October 1 to 14: secure drop boxes open at 25 locations, one in each ward
- October 6 to 11: advance voting, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- October 11 at 7 p.m.: last chance to update your information for the printed voters’ list
- October 14 at noon: completed mail-in ballots must have arrived
- October 26: election day, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Checking your registration
You can confirm or update your voter information through the Toronto Elections website, by emailing [email protected], or by calling 311. Updates made after October 11 will not appear on the printed voters’ list, though you can still be added at the polls.
Voter information cards are optional. You do not need one to vote, but bringing it speeds things up at the polling station. Digital copies are available online.
Voting by mail, and by proxy
Mail-in packages come with a prepaid return envelope. You can send them through Canada Post or drop them in one of the city’s secure boxes, which are open from October 1 to 14. Either way, the ballot has to physically arrive by noon on October 14 — a postmark is not enough.
Voters who cannot get to a poll can appoint someone to vote for them. Proxy forms are available by email or through 311, but they have to be certified in person at Toronto City Hall or the North York Civic Centre, with a deadline of 4:30 p.m. on election day itself.
Who is running
The City Clerk certified 361 candidates for the 2026 election, a figure adjusted in late August after a school board candidate withdrew. Four trustees have already been elected by acclamation: Frank D’Amico and Nancy Crawford with the Toronto Catholic District School Board, and Benoit Fortin and Genevieve Oger with the Conseil scolaire Viamonde.
Sources: City of Toronto news releases, September 1 and August 24, 2026.
