Municipal election: What you need to know before Oct. 26 voting day

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All campaign advertisements must be taken down within 72 hours after voting day passes. The official deadline to remove all campaign signs is Oct. 29 at 11:59 p.m.

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According to the Municipal Elections Act, no one is allowed to place an election sign on public or private property that is within three metres of an intersection or within 50 centimetres of a sidewalk. Where there is no sidewalk, signs are restricted within two metres of the roadway or within 50 centimetres of the edge of a shoulder.

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For multi-residential dwellings, candidates and their representatives are permitted access between 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

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Landlords cannot prevent a tenant from displaying campaign signs on their rented properties and condominium corporations cannot prevent an owner or tenant from displaying campaign signs on their unit.

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The landlord, corporation or agent may set “reasonable conditions” on the size or type of sign that can be displayed and are permitted to restrict signs from being displayed in common areas.

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What is different from the 2022 election cycle?

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Former mayor Jim Watson chose not to run again in 2022, leaving the field open for Mark Sutcliffe (the current mayor) and primary challengers Catherine McKenney and Bob Chiarelli among 14 mayoral candidates.

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Ten council seats were also left vacant when the incumbent councillor decided not to seek re-election. There was also the newly formed Barrhaven East ward in 2022.

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This year, all but two incumbent councillors are seeking re-election. Stittsville Coun. Glen Gower decided against running for a third term and Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper is running for mayor.

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There were 107 candidates registered to run for council seats in 2022. There are 85 certified candidates this year.

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Two councillors — River Coun. Riley Brockington and Rideau-Jock Coun. David Brown — are running uncontested in their ward and will automatically be acclaimed for another term.

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That hasn’t happened in Ottawa since 2003 when three councillors — Rick Chiarelli, Peter Hume and Doug Thompson — ran unopposed.

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Osgoode Coun. Isabelle Skalski, who won the seat in a byelection in 2025, and College Coun. Laine Johnson were also running unopposed until the final day of the candidate nomination period. They will each face one challenger for their council seat.

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Have the ward boundaries changed?

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Council approved several small boundary changes in six wards in 2024.

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A portion of land between Stittsville’s southern border and Flewellyn Road, which is part of the new urban expansion area, was redistributed from the neighbouring Rideau-Jock ward to Stittsville.

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Land at the southern end of Knoxdale-Merivale was redistributed to Barrhaven East, including a stretch of Fallowfield Road that council identified as a “vital transportation corridor” for Barrhaven residents, along with the “important access route” of Longfields Drive.

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During the boundary review, staff noted that a boundary line between Beacon Hill-Cyrville and Rideau-Rockcliffe split a commercial property in two. A minor adjustment was made to place the property entirely within Rideau-Rockcliffe.

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What if I want to decline or spoil my ballot?

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Voters have the right to decline or spoil their ballot.

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There were 1,500 ballots that were left blank, declined or otherwise rejected in 2022, when 314,760 valid ballots were cast. That represented a 43.8 per cent voter turnout.

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To decline, inform the election worker that you wish to decline your ballot. The worker will mark the ballot as declined and place it in a designated folder.

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Voters may also spoil their ballot by leaving all ovals blank or by filling in more than one oval for candidates running in the same race.

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Declined and spoiled ballots will be counted as part of the official results.

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