---
title: "Ottawa votes Monday: polling hours, 181 candidates and two acclaimed councillors"
description: "Voting locations open at 10 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. on Monday, October 26. About 868,000 eligible voters will choose a mayor, a ward councillor and a school board trustee."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/on/ottawa-2026/news/ottawa-voting-day-guide-2026-10-25"
last_updated: "2026-10-25T17:44:13.689Z"
---

Ottawa votes Monday. Voting places across the city open at 10 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. on October 26, 2026, with 181 candidates on the ballot for mayor, city councillor in 24 wards, and school board trustee across four boards, CTV News reported Sunday.

The City of Ottawa said, as of September 20, there were 868,248 eligible voters for the election. Many have already voted. CTV News reported that 59,093 ballots were cast on Advance Voting Day on October 16, and 27,553 more were cast during the four Special Advance Voting days from October 1 to 4. The city received 2,957 mail ballots by the October 16 deadline, for a total of 89,603 votes cast before voting day.

Voter turnout in Ottawa's 2022 municipal election was 43.79 per cent, according to CTV News.

## The mayor's race

Fourteen candidates are on the ballot for mayor. Incumbent [Mark Sutcliffe](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/mark-sutcliffe) is seeking a second term. He won the 2022 election with 51 per cent of the vote, according to CTV News.

Three-term Kitchissippi ward councillor [Jeff Leiper](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/jeff-leiper) is also running for mayor, along with homebuilder [Alex Lawson](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/alex-lawson) and economist [Neil Saravanamuttoo](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/neil-saravanamuttoo).

## Two wards guaranteed a new councillor

Two wards will have a new representative no matter how Monday's vote goes, CTV News reported. Kitchissippi ward's seat is open because Leiper is running for mayor. Stittsville ward is open because current councillor Glen Gower is not seeking re-election after two terms.

Two incumbents were returned without a vote. CTV News reported that [Riley Brockington](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/riley-brockington) was acclaimed for a fourth term in River Ward and [David Brown](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/david-brown) will serve a second term in Rideau-Jock ward, both because no other candidates registered in those wards.

## School board races

Voters will also choose trustees for four school boards: the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, the Ottawa Catholic School Board, the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est, and the Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario.

Eight school board candidates were elected by acclamation before voting day, CTV News reported: Scott Phelan (Ottawa Catholic School Board, Zone 1), Sandra Moore (Zone 2), Brian Coburn (Zone 3), Joanne MacEwan (Zone 5) and Mark D Mullan (Zone 8), as well as Dan Boudria, Johanne Lacombe and [André J. Thibodeau](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/andre-j-thibodeau) in Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est zones 8, 9 and 11.

New provincial rules take effect for trustees in all English public and Catholic school boards after this election. CTV News reported these include a new Chief Executive Officer position to lead budget development, a $10,000 cap on trustee honoraria, and a requirement to pay out of pocket for certain external organization membership fees.

## Salaries

The mayor earns $213,921 a year and a councillor earns $119,620 a year, according to CTV News.

## How to vote Monday

## Find your polling place by checking your Voter Notification Letter, contacting Elections Ottawa, or using the Where Do I Vote? tool at the City of Ottawa's elections website. Polls are open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

## Sitemap

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