The questions people ask before they vote, each checked against the City of Ottawa's and Ontario's own pages.
Every election produces the same rumours: what ID counts, who is allowed to vote, whether you can do it online, whether it is too late to get on the list. We ran the ones we keep hearing through SPEAC. Two of them corrected something we believed ourselves.
Each finding below links to its signed card, dated the day it was checked. If you hear a rumour at the door that is not here, send it and we will run it.
Per the Ontario 2026 Voters' Guide, a passport is explicitly NOT acceptable ID (self-written address), photo ID is not required, and many other documents — utility bills, employer pay stubs, government documents — are accepted.
Sources: ontario.ca · ottawa.ca
No — the City of Ottawa confirms the Voter Notification Letter is not required to vote. Bring government-issued ID showing your name and Ottawa address instead. The letter cannot be used as ID.
Ontario's 2026 Voters' Guide and the City of Ottawa confirm voters must be Canadian citizens. No province has changed this requirement; permanent residents cannot vote in any Canadian municipal election.
Sources: ontario.ca · ottawa.ca · toronto.ca
Ontario's Municipal Elections Act confirms non-residents who personally own or rent property in a municipality may vote there. However, the property must be personally owned or rented — not held by a business or trust.
Sources: ontario.ca · registertovoteon.ca · amo.on.ca
Ontario's 2026 Voters' Guide confirms students who consider another municipality 'home' and plan to return may vote in both. The rule applies province-wide; Ottawa is not specifically named, and eligibility depends on individual circumstances.
Sources: ontario.ca · toronto.ca
Confirmed by the City of Ottawa's own elections office: Voting Day in the 2026 Municipal Elections is Monday, October 26, 2026.
The City of Ottawa has scheduled Special Advance Voting Days from October 1–4, 2026 (10 am–8 pm), an Advance Voting Day on October 16, 2026 (10 am–8 pm), and Election Day on October 26, 2026.
The City of Ottawa's own elections page lists in-person, special mail-in ballot, and proxy as the only voting methods; online voting is not offered for the 2026 municipal election.
Yes — the City of Ottawa offers a special mail-in ballot for the 2026 municipal election (Oct. 26). However, the application period ran Sept. 1–15; that deadline has now passed. In-person advance voting (Oct. 1–4, 16) and Election Day voting remain available.
Sources: elections.ottawa.ca · ottawa.ca · ottawa.ca
The online revision period (Sept. 1–20) has closed, but you can still check and add your name at your voting place on voting days. Visit elections.ottawa.ca/FindName/FindName or contact the Elections Office at 613-580-2660.
Sources: ottawa.ca · elections.ottawa.ca · ottawa.ca