---
title: "Ottawa voters choose mayor today as 86,592 cast early ballots"
description: "Mark Sutcliffe, Jeff Leiper, Neil Saravanamuttoo and Alex Lawson each set out their tax and transit plans ahead of election day. Early turnout rose 8.9 per cent above 2022."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/on/ottawa-2026/news/ottawa-mayor-race-election-day-2026-10-26"
last_updated: "2026-10-26T23:49:08.915Z"
---

Ottawa held its municipal election on October 26, 2026, with voters choosing a mayor, one councillor in each of 24 wards, and school board trustees. Capital Current reported on election day that 14 candidates are on the ballot for mayor, with the race centered on four: incumbent Mark Sutcliffe, former Kitchissippi councillor Jeff Leiper, economist Neil Saravanamuttoo, and business owner Alex Lawson.

A total of 86,592 voters cast early ballots before election day, a rise of 8.9 per cent from the 79,491 who voted early in 2022, Capital Current reported. Polls are open until 8 p.m. Candidate profiles are at [/on/ottawa-2026/candidates#mayor](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates#mayor).

## Mark Sutcliffe

[Sutcliffe](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/mark-sutcliffe) is the incumbent mayor seeking a second term. Capital Current reported that he pledges to cap property tax increases at no more than 2.5 per cent in the first two budgets of a new term. He points to 252 million dollars in savings at city hall over the past four years and pledges another 250 million by maintaining hiring freezes and expanding program reviews. He also commits to cutting the adult monthly transit pass from 138.50 dollars to 95 dollars over the full term, at a cost he puts at 8 to 17 million dollars. His 10-billion-dollar, 10-year infrastructure plan includes road widenings in Orleans, Kanata and Riverside South, and four new recreation complexes.

## Jeff Leiper

[Leiper](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/jeff-leiper) is a three-term Kitchissippi Ward councillor. Capital Current reported that he would reverse OC Transpo bus route cuts and expand dedicated bus lanes, paying for this by reprioritizing money within the existing OC Transpo budget. He also proposes a one per cent infrastructure levy on property tax bills, which he says would cost the average homeowner 28 dollars a year and raise 25.5 million dollars annually. He has committed to building 1,500 non-profit homes a year, or 6,000 over four years, by dedicating city-owned land and fast-tracking approvals for non-profit builders.

## Neil Saravanamuttoo

[Saravanamuttoo](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/neil-saravanamuttoo) is an economist. Capital Current reported that he has committed to one-dollar-a-ride transit as part of a four-point transit plan. He has also pledged to double the share of non-market housing by building 25,000 to 35,000 units, with construction costs eventually covered by rent, though he has acknowledged the city would need to guarantee loans worth billions. He has not committed to specific property tax figures, saying the amount depends on the cost of fixing aging infrastructure and savings he can find.

## Alex Lawson

[Lawson](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/alex-lawson) owns a framing business. Capital Current reported that he is pledging a property tax ceiling for the full four-year term, with a freeze in 2027, then increases of one, two and two per cent. He has pledged to eliminate the vacant unit tax and make curbside parking free across the city. He also wants to begin work on a southern ring road to divert traffic from Highway 417, which would require federal or provincial funding.

Polls close tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/on/ottawa-2026/sitemap.md) for all pages.