---
title: "Nearly half of Ottawa mail-in ballots for Oct. 26 election were not returned on time"
description: "The City of Ottawa says 2,494 voters who were issued mail-in ballot kits did not return them by the Oct. 16 deadline and did not vote in advance polling. Those voters can still vote in person on Oct. 26."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/on/ottawa-2026/news/ottawa-mail-ballot-unreturned-2026-10-22"
last_updated: "2026-10-22T13:51:16.778Z"
---

The City of Ottawa says 2,494 of the 5,511 special mail-in ballot kits it issued for the Oct. 26 election were not returned by the Oct. 16 deadline. CTV News Ottawa reported on Oct. 22 that the elections office contacted all of those voters by email on Oct. 20 and told them they can still vote in person on election day.

City Clerk Caitlin Salter MacDonald said in a statement to CTV News that the elections office issued kits to 5,511 eligible voters, received 2,957 back by the deadline, and then confirmed 2,494 had neither returned their kit nor voted during any advance voting days. "On October 20, the Elections Office contacted these electors to advise them that their kits had not been received by the deadline and to outline their additional opportunities to vote," Salter MacDonald said.

Several voters wrote on Reddit that they mailed their kits with enough lead time, yet received emails saying their ballot had not arrived. Canada Post told CTV News Ottawa that its Ottawa operations team found no delays or backlogs in mail delivery during the weeks of Oct. 5 and Oct. 12, though Oct. 12 was the Thanksgiving holiday. The company said there is no tracking system for those individual pieces.

By comparison, in 2022, the City issued 10,179 mail-in ballot kits and received 8,685 back on time.

Salter MacDonald said the timelines were set under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 and were intended to give enough time for ballots to travel to voters and return. Voters could mail their kit back or drop it off in person at the elections office or any City of Ottawa Client Service Centre.

**Voters who have not yet voted can still cast a ballot in person on Oct. 26, voting day.** Anyone who cannot vote in person should contact the elections office as soon as possible; staff can assist with options including proxy voting. To find your polling location, use the City's online tool or check the voter information letter mailed to you earlier this fall.

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