United Way Greater Toronto launches program to help residents with barriers to voting before Oct. 26
United Way Greater Toronto and Toronto Metropolitan University have hired 15 emerging leaders and distributed 14,000 resources to help residents in communities with low voter turnout cast a ballot on Oct. 26.
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United Way Greater Toronto and Toronto Metropolitan University's Democratic Engagement Exchange launched a program to help residents with barriers to voting cast a ballot in the Oct. 26, 2026 Toronto municipal election. NOW Toronto reported on the program, called Voice the Vote, on Oct. 21, 2026.
The program hired 15 emerging leaders from communities with historically low voter turnout, awarded 47 microgrants to community organizations, supported 60 community events with 30 more scheduled for October, and distributed 14,000 tools and resources to agencies across the city, according to NOW Toronto.
Lori Galway, director of public policy at United Way Greater Toronto, told NOW Toronto: "Meaningful participation, it doesn't begin at the ballot box. It begins much earlier."
NOW Toronto reported that fewer than one in three eligible voters cast ballots in the last Toronto municipal election. That figure covers the mayor's race and all 25 ward councillor races.
The program focuses on affordability, housing, homelessness, and youth employment as the top concerns raised by residents at Voice the Vote events. These are also the main issues in both the mayoral race, where incumbent Olivia Chow faces challenger Brad Bradford, and in many ward races across the city.
Voice the Vote provides multilingual voting resources and runs simulated voting exercises to help residents unfamiliar with the process become comfortable before election day. The program reaches people through trusted community organizations rather than through direct outreach.
The 15 community leaders hired by the program come from the same communities they are working in. Each of the 47 microgrant recipients is a community organization that the program determined could reach residents who might otherwise not vote. The 14,000 tools and resources distributed include printed materials, guides on how to find a voting place, and information on what appears on the Toronto ballot.
Toronto voters choose a mayor, one ward councillor, and, depending on their school district, school board trustees on Oct. 26. Voting day is Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. Polls are open from 10 am to 8 pm. You can find your assigned voting place at toronto.ca and see all candidates at the Toronto 2026 election guide.
Questions this story answers
What is Voice the Vote and who runs it?
Voice the Vote is an initiative launched by United Way Greater Toronto in partnership with Toronto Metropolitan University's Democratic Engagement Exchange. The program is designed to help Toronto-area residents who face barriers to voting participate in the Oct. 26, 2026 Toronto municipal election. NOW Toronto reported on the program on Oct. 21, 2026. It focuses on communities with historically low voter turnout.
What has Voice the Vote done ahead of the Oct. 26 vote?
According to NOW Toronto, the program hired 15 emerging leaders from communities with historically low voter turnout, awarded 47 microgrants to community organizations, supported 60 community events with 30 more scheduled for October, and distributed 14,000 tools and resources to agencies. The program also produced multilingual voting resources and simulated voting exercises to help residents become familiar with the ballot process.
Why is voter turnout in Toronto low?
NOW Toronto reported that fewer than one in three eligible voters cast ballots in the last Toronto municipal election. Lori Galway, director of public policy at United Way Greater Toronto, said in the article that meaningful participation begins before the ballot box. The program works with trusted community organizations to reach people who may face language barriers or who are unfamiliar with the voting process.
What help is available for residents with language barriers?
Voice the Vote provides multilingual voting resources to help residents who may not be fully comfortable in English or French navigate the ballot and find their polling station. The program has distributed these materials through community organizations. The City of Toronto's election office also provides information in multiple languages at toronto.ca/elections. Voting day is Oct. 26, 2026.
What were the top concerns raised by Toronto residents in the program's community events?
NOW Toronto reported that affordability, housing, homelessness, and youth employment opportunities emerged as the top priorities among residents who took part in Voice the Vote community events. The program held 60 community events before October and scheduled 30 more during October 2026. These priorities reflect concerns that candidates in the mayoral and council races have also focused on during the campaign.
Where can Toronto residents find their voting location for Oct. 26?
Voting day is Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. Polls are open from 10 am to 8 pm. Toronto residents can find their assigned voting place using the City of Toronto's online voter lookup tool at toronto.ca. You can also check your voter notification card if you received one. Advance voting has already closed. For more on who is on the ballot, see the Toronto 2026 candidates page at /on/toronto-2026/candidates.
Who is Lori Galway and what did she say about the initiative?
Lori Galway is the director of public policy at United Way Greater Toronto. NOW Toronto quoted her as saying: 'Meaningful participation, it doesn't begin at the ballot box. It begins much earlier.' The Voice the Vote program reflects that view by working with communities before election day rather than only on voting day itself. United Way Greater Toronto is a registered charitable organization that works on poverty reduction and community development in the Toronto area.
How does the program reach people who have not voted before?
Voice the Vote works through trusted community organizations rather than through direct government outreach. The program awarded 47 microgrants to community organizations, which distributed 14,000 tools and resources to agencies. It also ran simulated voting exercises to help residents who have never voted become familiar with the ballot process. The 15 community leaders hired by the program come from the same communities they are working in, which United Way Greater Toronto says makes the outreach more trusted and effective.
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