Advance voting for Toronto’s mayoral, city council, and school trustee races begins today. Between Oct. 6 to 11, between the hours of 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., residents can head to designated early voting locations across the city. Information on where to vote in advance can be found on your voter information card or by heading to My Vote and entering your primary residence. It should be noted that advance voting locations are not the same as voting stations on election day, which is Monday, Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. A full list of locations where you can vote can be found here. All voters must show identification with their name and Toronto address, according to city officials. Who is eligible to vote in Toronto? To be eligible to vote, you must be at least 18 years old, a Canadian citizen, and a resident of Toronto, unless you or your spouse own property in the city. Those not eligible to vote include corporations, people serving a sentence of imprisonment in a penal or correctional institution, and anyone acting as an executor, trustee or in another representative capacity, except as a voting proxy. What ID is acceptable? Valid identification is required when casting your ballot. All forms of valid ID must include your name and Toronto address. Valid forms of identification include: Government-issued: A document issued by the Government of Canada or the province of Ontario, such as tax documents, a driver’s licence, or photo ID card. Bank-issued: A credit card or bank account statement, a cancelled personalized cheque, or a loan agreement Utility bill: A hydro, telephone, cable TV, water, gas, or public utilities commission bill. Employment-issued: A cheque stub, T4 statement, pay receipt issued by an employer, or a statement of direct deposit from Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Program. Passports are not be accepted as they do not show an address. Are you entitled to time off to vote? Those voting in the election are entitled to three hours to cast their ballot, according to the City of Toronto. This does not mean your employer must give you three hours off work to vote. Rather, you are entitled to be absent from work for enough time to give yourself three consecutive hours to vote. For example, if your working hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., you would be entitled to leave one hour early so you have from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. to vote. “Your employer may decide when it would be most convenient for you to be absent in order to vote. For example, if you work from noon to 6 p.m. your employer may decide that you should come in at 1 p.m., rather than leave work at 5 p.m.,” city officials said in a statement. What if I need accommodations? If you require accommodations to vote, officials say Voter Assist Terminals (VATs) will be available at all advance voting locations and two voting locations on election day. Voters in need of accommodations can bring a friend with them or ask an election official for assistance. Friends are allowed to go behind the voting screen, but they must first make a declaration. If you have questions about voting with a disability or about accommodations offered, you can call the City of Toronto at 416-338-1111, ext. 6 or email accessibleelections@toronto.ca If you are physically unable to enter a voting station, you can request to have your ballot brought out to your vehicle or outside of the building for curbside voting. A friend or support person will need to inform a election official in this case. Can’t vote on election day or in advance? If you are unable to vote on election or in advanced polls, you are allowed to elect a voting proxy, someone who is eligible to vote in the city of Toronto and who the voter can trust to vote the way they wish. Voters can only choose only one person to vote on their behalf. For an approved voter proxy, you must submit a voting proxy appointment form. Once submitted, the form has to be certified in-person at the Toronto Elections office at City Hall. Can I mail in my ballot? If you want to vote by mail, you must have already registered for mail-in voting by Sept. 24. If you registered, you must drop off your ballot package by noon on Wed., Oct. 14, at a secure yellow Toronto Elections drop box or return it using the prepaid Canada Post envelope. Where should adult students vote? If you are a student of eligible voting age who is living in Toronto but are from another municipality, you are eligible to vote in both your home municipality and in Toronto. If you are from Toronto and go to school in Toronto, you are expected to vote in the ward of your home, not in the ward of your school. If you are a Toronto resident and are away at school and are unable to vote in person, you are allowed to appoint a proxy to vote on your behalf.
