Fact Sheet
September 22, 2022

With preparations for the 2022 municipal election in full swing, Toronto Elections is reminding eligible voters about important deadlines for mail-in voting and voters’ list additions and updates. Key dates, stats, voter eligibility information and more is available in the Face Sheet below.

Key dates

  • Friday, September 23 at 4:30 p.m.
    • Deadline to apply for mail-in voting
    • Last day for eligible voters to add, change or update their voters’ list information online through MyVote
  • Week of September 26
    • Voter Information Cards start being mailed to eligible voters who were on the voters’ list as of September 19
  • Thursday, September 29
    • First day election signs and campaign office signs can be erected
  • Friday, October 21 at noon
    • Last day for Toronto Elections to receive completed mail-in voting packages
  • Friday, October 7 to Friday, October 14, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
    • Advance voting days
  • Monday, October 24 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
    • Election day

2022 municipal election by the numbers

  • There are more than 1.89 million eligible electors in Toronto
  • Voters will cast ballots to elect one mayor, 25 councillors and 39 school trustees across four school boards
  • 372 certified candidates
  • 1,460 voting locations (as of September 20)
  • A total of nine days to vote in person (eight days of advance voting and one election day)

New for the 2022 Toronto municipal election

  • Mail-in Voting program – option offered for the first time in a Toronto general municipal election
  • Three extra days of advance voting (compared to 2018) – more opportunities to vote in person
  • Vote counting equipment – replacing tabulator equipment that was more than 20 years old
  • Election supply carts – new supply chain model to deliver election materials to voting places for advance vote and election day

Advance vote and Election Day

  • Advance voting will be available for eight consecutive days from Friday, October 7 to Friday, October 14 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
    • There will be 50 advance voting locations across the city, two in each of the 25 wards
    • New for this election:
      • Three extra days of advance vote
      • Voting will take place during the Thanksgiving long weekend to allow for more dates to vote and for students coming home to vote
    • Election day is Monday, October 24 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
    • There are close to 15,000 election positions supporting 1,460 voting locations across the city

Voter eligibility

  • To vote in Toronto’s municipal election, an eligible voter must be:
    • a Canadian citizen; and
    • at least 18 years of age; and
    • a resident in the city of Toronto, or
    • a non-resident of Toronto, but they or their spouse own or rent property in the city; and
    • not prohibited from voting under any law
  • An eligible voter may only vote once in the Toronto municipal election regardless of how many properties they own or rent within the city
  • A resident of Toronto, who also owns property in Toronto, must vote where they live

Voting by mail

  • For the first time in a Toronto general municipal election, eligible voters can choose to vote by mail
  • The deadline to apply to vote by mail is Friday, September 23 at 4:30 p.m. on the Vote by Mail webpage or by calling Toronto Elections at 311
  • Completed mail-in voting packages can be returned by using the provided pre-paid postage envelope to deposit in any Canada Post mailbox or they can be placed into a yellow Toronto Elections mail-in voting drop box
  • One drop box is available in each of Toronto’s 25 electoral wards from Friday, October 7 to Friday, October 21 at noon. A map and list of drop box locations are available on the Vote by Mail webpage
  • Voters can return their package to any drop box
  • Drop boxes have identifiable branding and security features such as extra locks and cabling. Drop boxes will be located at sites that have CCTV cameras in place and Toronto Elections staff will collect ballots daily
  • Toronto Elections must receive completed mail-in voting packages by the return deadline of noon, Friday, October 21
  • As of Tuesday, September 20, 19,581 Toronto voters have applied to vote by mail in this election
  • Mail-in voting was first piloted during the 2021 Scarborough-Agincourt by-election and accounted for 3,515 or 29 per cent of the ballots cast (which represents 5.3 per cent of eligible voters in that by-election)
    • 87 per cent of all packages were returned by the deadline – 64.5 per cent were returned by Canada Post and 33.5 per cent were returned through drop boxes

Voters’ list and Voter Information Cards

  • The deadline for voters to confirm if they are on the voters’ list and add or update their information online using MyVote is Friday, September 23 at 4:30 p.m.
  • Following this date, voters will continue to be able to add their names by calling 311 or emailing VoterRegistration@toronto.ca before Friday, October 14 at 4:30 p.m.
  • Eligible voters can also add themselves when they go to vote during advance voting days (Friday, October 7 to Friday, October 14) or on election day (Monday, October 24) at the voting location
  • Starting September 26, Voter Information Cards (VIC) will be mailed to those on the voters’ list as of September 19. The VIC provides information about when and where to vote during both advance vote period and on election day
  • Voters should remember to bring both their VIC and proper identification, with their name and Toronto address, when they go to vote as it will help identify them as eligible voters and provide for a more efficient and convenient voting experience
  • Types of acceptable identification are available on the Toronto Elections webpage
  • A VIC is not mandatory to vote and cannot be used as identification

Elections security

  • Once advance vote and election day marked ballots are received and returned to Toronto Elections, they will be secured and locked
  • Advance vote tabulators are secured from the end of the advance vote to election night when advance vote results are run
  • All marked ballots are secured for a minimum of 120 days post-election or longer if required

Voter Assist Terminal

  • The Voter Assist Terminal (VAT) is a machine that marks paper ballots, allowing voters with disabilities and other accommodation needs to select the candidate(s) of their choice privately and independently
  • Features include: a touch screen, an audio component, a braille keypad, a sip/puff tube device, a rocker paddle/foot switch and zoom features to adjust font sizes and colour contrast
  • 50 VATs will be deployed throughout the city during voting days. They will be at all 50 advance vote locations, as well as those same locations on election day
  • The VAT can also be personalized to individual needs by adjusting settings such as font size, contrast level and the pace and volume of the audio

Elections Supply Carts

  • The Elections Supply Cart is a new supply chain model for the 2022 election – a best practice that is used by New York City and other large cities to deliver supplies for elections
  • Carts are being used to deliver election materials and everything needed by voting place staff during the advance vote and election day
  • Close to 1,400 carts are being prepared for delivery to voting places
  • The supplies in the carts are specifically customized for each voting location and labelled for each ward and subdivision
  • Voting materials and equipment will be secured and locked in carts, which have additional security features and processes to ensure they are protected

DS200 Tabulator

  • The DS200 is a device used to tabulate votes and will be located at each voting location
  • The DS200 takes about 10 to 15 minutes to set up and can process 12 ballots per minute
  • There are approximately 1,700 DS200 tabulators available
  • Testing is conducted on every tabulator to ensure votes are processed correctly on voting days

Central Count DS950

  • The DS950 is a high-speed central-count tabulator used to process large quantities of ballots
  • It will be used to tabulate mail-in voting and process election day Long Term Care polls
  • This new equipment counts approximately 250 ballots per minute

MyVote web application

  • MyVote is a web application that provides everything voters need. Voters can enter their Toronto address to:
    • Check out the candidates running in their ward
    • Find their ward and map
    • Check or update their voter information on the voters’ list (up to September 23)
    • Apply to vote by mail (up to September 23) and track the progress of their package
    • Find out where and when to vote (starting October 3)
    • View, download or print their Voter Information Card (starting October 3)
    • Find accessibility information about voting places (starting October 3)
    • View a sample of their ballot (starting October 3)

Accessibility

  • All voting locations will be accessible and information about the accessibility of each location will be available on MyVote starting Monday, October 3
  • To provide voters with disabilities the opportunity to vote independently, Voter Assist Terminals (VATs) will be available at each advance vote location and two locations in each ward on election day
  • Key election materials are available in braille at the voting location
  • Sample ballots on MyVote are also made accessible, to allow blind or partially-sighted voters to preview their ballot
  • Voters who are physically unable to go inside the voting place can request curbside voting, where their ballot is brought to their vehicle, outside of the building or to another area within the voting place
  • Voters who require assistance at the voting place may bring a friend along to help or may ask an election official for assistance
  • To address barriers to voting for people with disabilities, Toronto Elections has established a dedicated telephone line and email address:

Key resources

Toronto is home to more than 2.9 million people whose diversity and experiences make this great city Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is a global leader in technology, finance, film, music, culture and innovation, and consistently places at the top of international rankings due to investments championed by its government, residents and businesses. For more information visit the City’s website or follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

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