Today is the day. Monday, October 26 is voting day for municipal elections across the Greater Toronto Area, and if you have not voted yet, this is your last chance. Advance voting has closed. There is no more putting it off until tomorrow, because tomorrow the decisions are made.
Polls are open now, and they stay open until 8 PM tonight. That gives you the full day to get to your voting place, but do not leave it to the last hour. Lines grow after work, and a vote cast at 7:55 PM counts exactly the same as one cast at 10:05 AM. The only vote that does not count is the one that never gets cast.
Here is everything you need to vote today, in one place.
When and where to vote
Toronto polls are open from 10 AM to 8 PM. Your voting place is assigned based on your qualifying address, and you must vote in the ward where you live. If you are not sure where to go, use the City’s MyVote tool at toronto.ca/Elections. Type in your address and it will show your voting place, your ward, and your ballot. About 2.14 million Torontonians are eligible to vote in this election.
Brampton polls are also open from 10 AM to 8 PM. Brampton does it a little differently: you can vote at any voting location within your ward, so pick the one that fits your day. More than 410,000 electors are eligible across the city. Find locations at brampton.ca/voters.
Mississauga polls open earlier, at 9 AM, and close at 8 PM. If you live in Mississauga, check the city’s election pages for your assigned voting place before you head out.
One rule applies in every city: you vote where you live, and you vote once. If you own or rent property in more than one place, that does not give you an extra ballot.
What to bring
Bring identification that shows your name and your address. In Toronto, you are required to show identification with your name and Toronto address. A voter information card helps staff find you faster, but your ID is the essential piece. If you have your voter information card, bring it along too.
Give yourself time. Voting itself takes only a few minutes, but there may be a line, especially in the evening. Accessible voting equipment is available at voting places, and election staff are there to help if you need assistance with the process.
What is on the ballot
You are not voting for one office. You are voting for the people who run your city day to day.
In Toronto, the ballot carries 361 certified candidates: 53 for mayor, 190 for city councillor, and 118 for school board trustee. You vote for mayor, for the councillor in your ward, and for a school board trustee if you are eligible.
In Brampton and Mississauga, you vote for mayor, for your city councillor, and for regional councillors in Peel Region, plus school board trustees where eligible. These are the offices that decide property taxes, transit, roads, recreation centres, libraries, and the services your neighbourhood relies on.
That is why municipal elections matter more than their turnout usually suggests. Federal and provincial politics get the attention, but the city decides whether your bus comes on time, whether your street gets plowed, and whether your community centre stays open.
If your name is not on the voters list
Do not turn around and go home. If you arrive and your name is not on the list, bring your identification and ask the staff at your voting place about being added. Election staff deal with this all day, and there is a process for it. What you need is ID showing your name and your qualifying address, and a few extra minutes of patience.
The same applies if you moved recently. Your qualifying address is where you live now, and your ward follows your address. Check the MyVote tool or your city’s lookup before you leave, and you will avoid a wasted trip.
Why this vote matters for Caribbean neighbourhoods
CanadianYardie’s election coverage has followed one question all month: where do Caribbean voters hold the balance in this election? The answer is that they hold it in wards across Toronto, Brampton and Mississauga, neighbourhoods where Caribbean families have lived for decades and where newer arrivals are putting down roots.
Those neighbourhoods have practical stakes in this vote. Housing costs decide whether young Caribbean families can stay in the communities they grew up in. Transit decisions decide how long the commute takes from the east end and the west end to jobs downtown. Funding for recreation centres, libraries and community programs decides what is available to kids after school. None of that is abstract. It is the daily life of the community, and it is decided by the people on today’s ballot.
Voting is also how a community makes itself counted. Low turnout in a ward tells city hall that the ward can be ignored. High turnout tells city hall that it cannot. Every ballot from a Caribbean neighbourhood is a message that the neighbourhood expects to be served, and that message lands whether or not any single race is close.
After the polls close
Polls close at 8 PM tonight. Results will be posted progressively after voting ends, and the cities will certify the winners in the days that follow. CanadianYardie will have the results read on October 27, with the wins, the losses, the shocks, the surprises and the disappointments, and what they mean for Caribbean neighbourhoods.
For now, the job is simple. Find your voting place, bring your ID, and go vote before 8 PM. Today is the day.
Sources: City of Toronto election pages, including the 2026 Toronto municipal election fact sheet and voter information pages at toronto.ca/Elections; City of Brampton election pages, including voting day information at brampton.ca/voters.
Questions readers ask
What time do polls close?
Polls close at 8 PM in Toronto, Brampton and Mississauga on Monday, October 26.
What ID do I need to vote?
Bring identification showing your name and your address. A voter information card helps staff find you faster, but your ID is the essential piece.
What if my name is not on the voters list?
Do not go home. Bring your ID and ask staff at your voting place about being added; there is a process for it.
Results are in: read what Toronto, Brampton and Mississauga decided.
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