Toronto election 2022: Information on voting as mail-in ballot registration deadline looms
Posted September 22, 2022 3:08 pm.
Last Updated September 22, 2022 3:23 pm.
With a little more than a month to go until the Toronto election, City officials held a tour of their office and insisted they were ready to go.
“We’re committed to providing fair and accessible election for all people. It’s my role as clerk to ensure that there is an equitable, accessible and secure election,” Toronto city clerk John Elvidge told reporters Thursday morning.
“Election day itself is Monday, October 24, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. We have about 15,000 people that we have recruited to support 1,460 voting locations across the city.”
The biggest change for Toronto voters this year is the option to vote by mail. In order to do so, you need to be registered by 4:30 p.m. on Friday. This can be done by calling 311 or visiting the City’s elections website.
To submit a ballot by mail, it can be put in a pre-paid envelope and dropped at any Canada Post mailbox. Ballots can also be inserted into one of 25 secured Toronto elections drop boxes (one in every ward of the city with a list of locations listed here) between October 7 and the morning of October 21.
RELATED: Are you on the voters’ list for the Toronto election? Here’s how to find out
Another change in 2022 is three more days of advance voting. You’ll be able to vote in advance any time between 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. from October 7 to October 14.
As for how your ballots get counted, City of Toronto election staff showcased a whole suite of new technology. Officials said ballot tabulators, which were more than 20 years old, have been replaced in favour of quicker and more secure technology.
As of Thursday, there are more than 1.89 million Toronto residents eligible to vote for a mayor, a councillor (25 in total across Toronto) and a school board trustee (39 trustees in four boards). There are 372 certified candidates for all offices.
Another looming indicator of the upcoming election: September 29 will be the first day election lawn and campaign signs can go up.
To check to see if you’re on the voters’ list or to see more information about the Toronto election, click here to access the City of Toronto’s website.
Toronto’s deputy clerk says around 20,000 people have registered so far to vote by mail. Registration can be done online and it must be done by 4:30 p.m. tomorrow.
— Nick Westoll (@NWestoll) September 22, 2022
Staff are asked about the voting day for Ontario’s municipal elections falls and how it falls on Diwali this year (Oct. 24).
City clerk John Elvidge says the main day is set in law by the province and can’t be changed locally while pointing to the nine advance voting days.
— Nick Westoll (@NWestoll) September 22, 2022
City staff show where the ~1,700 tabulators are being tested for accuracy. The machines will be kept in a double-locked room in the elections facility.
They say every polling location has locked carts and technology cases that will be securely shipped to each location. #TOpoli pic.twitter.com/BkfPqUtmvY
— Nick Westoll (@NWestoll) September 22, 2022
A @torontovotes worker shows how the new mail-in voting drop box system will work and the security features in each box. #TOpoli pic.twitter.com/tiQhLamvtT
— Nick Westoll (@NWestoll) September 22, 2022
