Toronto election: What voters need to know to cast a ballot

Monday is election day in Toronto and when voters go to cast a ballot, they will see 102 candidates to choose from.

To see an overview of promises from some of the top candidates, visit the Global News promise tracker. Answers to key questions from a number of mayoral candidates can be found here.

Here is a look at what electors need to know about the voting process on Monday, as detailed by the City of Toronto:

When polls are open

On election day, polls will be open from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m.

Who is eligible to vote

In order to vote, you must be at least 18 years old, a Canadian citizen, a resident of Toronto or a non-resident but you or your spouse own or rent property in the city.

If you own or rent multiple properties in the city, on election day you can only vote in the ward where you live.

Students living in Toronto for school are also eligible to vote.

The City’s website notes, “If you are a student living away from ‘home’ to attend an educational institution in Toronto and consider your ‘home’ to be the place where you live when you are not attending school, which means you plan on returning there, then you are eligible to vote in both your ‘home’ municipality and in the municipality where you currently live to attend school.”

Individuals experiencing homelessness are able to vote as well.

“If you stay at a shelter or spend time at a drop-in centre, look for information cards and posters with details on the closest voting location to your shelter,” the City website says.

Those not eligible to vote include individuals imprisoned in a penal or correctional institution, along with anyone convicted of a corrupt practice as described in section 90(3) or the Municipal Elections Act of 1996, the City says.

To find out if you are eligible and where to cast a ballot, visit the City’s website.

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What to bring to the polling location

When voters go to cast a ballot, they must being identification that shows their name and address.

It doesn’t need to be a photo ID, just one piece of ID that shows the voter’s name and address, such as a utility bill.

If you have a voter information card, that should be brought with you as well. While it’s not mandatory, it confirms with the officials that you are on the voters’ list and speeds up the process. If you lost your voter information card, or are on the list but didn’t receive one, it can be accessed through MyVote.

If you are not on the voters’ list, you can be added at the polling location.

Time off work to vote

The City’s website notes that electors are entitled to three hours to vote on election day, but that doesn’t mean three hours off work.

“Typically this is at the start or end of your working hours,” the website states.

“For example, if your working hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., you are entitled to leave one hour early so that you would have from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. to vote.”

Employers may decide when it would be most convenient to allow time to vote.

The voting process

When you go to a polling location, you will be asked to provide ID and an election official will check it against the voters’ list and cross off your name.

The official will then place your ballot in a secrecy folder and direct you to a voting screen.

From there, you will be able to mark the ballot by filling in the oval to the right of the one candidate you choose.

If a mistake is made or you change your mind, take the ballot back to the election official who will then cancel it and provide a new one.

Once finished, place the completed ballot back in the secrecy folder and take it to an election official who will feed it into the tabulator.

The City also has different accessibility options available for voters, including curbside voting if requested, language services, voting by proxy, personal assistance, and accessible equipment. More information on those options can be found on the City’s website.