A public guide to the 2026 Toronto municipal election
Take note
Toronto's 2026 municipal election is coming, and we are here to help you get ready to vote.
Know Your Vote T.O. is a free, non-partisan guide from the Toronto Public Library. This is our third election helping Torontonians get informed — we started in 2018, came back in 2022, and the project has won awards along the way.
Every voter picks a Mayor, a City Councillor, and a school trustee. Find your ward, meet everyone running, and compare how each candidate answered the same questions, side by side. Our balanced guides to the Big Issues shaping this election explain what each role is responsible for and what is really at stake.
Our goal: help you walk into the voting booth on October 26 feeling informed about every candidate in your ward.
Watch for the full public launch of this website on September 15 — International Day of Democracy. Join us to mark the day with Public Trust, a special interactive artwork by Paul Ramírez Jonas at TPL's Fort York branch, part of Celebrate Democracy, the Library's free programming for all ages at branches across Toronto this fall. Ramírez Jonas will be featured alongside The Bentway's Director of Programming, Anna Gallagher-Ross, for a free public talk at 6:00 pm, also at Fort York branch. Register for the Public Trust talk at Fort York.
Public Trust is presented by The Bentway, in partnership with the Waterfront BIA, and in collaboration with Toronto Public Library and Harbourfront Centre.
Toronto 2026
City Hall: one mayor, 25 councillors.
Every Toronto voter gets a say in both — the mayor city-wide, and one councillor for their ward. Enter your postal code, or find your ward on the map below.
Your ballot
Three votes: mayor, councillor, school trustee.
Every Toronto voter elects the mayor, one ward councillor, and one school trustee.
- Vote 1MayorOne city-wide race · 53 candidates
- Vote 2City Councillor25 wards · 190 candidates
- Vote 3School TrusteeEvery household supports one of Toronto's four school boards — pick yours.
What's at stake
10 big issues facing the city
The Big Issues are the questions we put to every candidate, each one paired with a short guide to what's going on — what the facts are, who decides, and what a mayor, councillor, or trustee can and can't actually do about it. The guides don't take sides or tell you what to think; a lot of what people want fixed at City Hall is decided at Queen's Park or in Ottawa, and knowing where a decision really sits is half of reading a candidate's answer well. Every fact links to its source so you can check it yourself, and if you'd rather listen than read, each guide has an audio version
- Trustees, the Board, and the ProvinceWhat a school board is, what trustees can and cannot do, how Toronto's four boards work, and why two are under provincial supervision.TDSBTCDSB
- Bullying in SchoolsThe policies trustees approve, how each board's prevention approach differs, and what has changed recently.TDSBTCDSB
- Class Sizes and StaffingOntario's class size rules, how boards spread staff and funding across schools, and what trustees decide through the budget.TDSBTCDSB
- Special Programs and Program AccessSpecialized programs, language immersion and special education — who decides what is offered, where, and how students get in.TDSBTCDSB
- Les conseillères et conseillers scolaires, le Conseil et la ProvinceCe qu'est un conseil scolaire, le rôle des conseillères et conseillers, le fonctionnement des quatre conseils, et pourquoi deux sont sous tutelle.ViamondeMonAvenir
- L'intimidation dans les écolesLes politiques qu'approuvent les conseillères et conseillers, les différences entre les approches des conseils, et ce qui a changé récemment.ViamondeMonAvenir
- La taille des classes et la dotation en personnelLes règles provinciales sur la taille des classes, la répartition du personnel et du financement entre les écoles, et ce que décide le budget.ViamondeMonAvenir
- Les programmes spécialisés et l'accès aux programmesLes programmes spécialisés, l'immersion française et l'éducation de l'enfance en difficulté : qui décide de l'offre, et où.ViamondeMonAvenir
Mark your calendar
The municipal election is in October — plan ahead
- Advance Voting: Open
- October 610 am – 7 pm
- Advance Voting: Close
- October 1110 am – 7 pm
- Election Day
- October 2610 am – 8 pm
- Official Information
- Elections TorontoDates, times, etc.
53 candidates