Fact Sheet
May 24, 2023
Key dates
- Monday, April 3
- First day to file a nomination paper for mayor
- First day to file a notice of registration as a third party advertiser
- Monday, May 1
- Recruitment to fill voting place positions
- Friday, May 12, 2 p.m.
- Deadline for candidates to file or withdraw a nomination
- Week of May 23
- Voter Information Cards start being mailed to eligible voters who were on the voters’ list as of May 14
- Friday, May 26, 4:30 p.m.
- Deadline to apply for mail-in voting
- Last day for eligible voters to add, change or update their voters’ list
information online through MyVote
- Thursday, June 1
- First day election signs and campaign office signs can be erected
- Voting places and ballot sample available on MyVote
- Thursday, June 8 to Tuesday, June 13, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Advance voting
- Thursday, June 15, noon:
- Monday, June 26, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Election day
2023 By-election by the numbers
- More than 1.89 million eligible electors in Toronto
- 102 candidates for mayor certified by the City Clerk
- Close to 15,000 election positions filled to support the by-election
- 1,445 election day voting locations (as of May 24)
- 50 advance voting locations across the city, two in each of the 25 wards
- A total of seven days to vote in person (six days of advance voting plus election day)
Voter eligibility
- To be eligible to vote, you must be:
- a Canadian citizen; and
- at least 18 years of age; and
- a resident in the city of Toronto, or
- a non-resident of Toronto, but you or your spouse own or rent property in the city; and
- not prohibited from voting under any law.
- An eligible voter may only vote once, regardless of how many properties they own or rent within the city.
Advance vote
- Advance voting is available for six consecutive days from Thursday, June 8 to Tuesday, June 13, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- There are 50 advance voting locations across the city, two in each of the 25 wards.
- During advance vote for this by-election, eligible voters can vote at any of the available voting locations across the city because there is only one ballot style for the mayor’s race. For a general election, there are usually 125 different ballot styles that include Councillor and School Trustee races.
- Advance vote locations are listed on the Toronto Elections Advance Vote webpage.
- Voting locations are subject to change.
Election day
- Election day is Monday, June 26, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- On election day, eligible voters must vote in the ward where they live.
- Election day locations are assigned based on the eligible voters’ qualifying address. The list of voting locations is available as of Thursday, June 1, on MyVote.
- Voting locations are subject to change.
Vote by mail
- The deadline to apply to vote by mail is Friday, May 26, 4:30 p.m.
- Eligible voters can apply online at MyVote or by calling 311.
- Toronto Elections must receive completed mail-in voting packages by noon on Thursday, June 15.
- Completed mail-in voting packages can be returned using the provided pre-paid postage envelope and depositing it in any Canada Post mailbox to arrive by June 15 or can be placed in a yellow Toronto Elections mail-in voting drop box.
- One yellow drop box is available in each of the city’s 25 wards from June 1 to June 15 at noon. Drop box locations are available at MyVote.
- Voters can return their package to any drop box regardless of the ward they live in.
- Drop boxes have identifiable branding and security features such as extra locks and cabling. Drop boxes will be located at sites that have CCTV cameras in place and ballots will be collected daily.
Vote by proxy
- If eligible voters are unable to vote for any reason on any of the available voting days, they can appoint another eligible elector to vote on their behalf.
- Voters can request a Voting Proxy Appointment Form, by emailing VoterRegistration@toronto.ca or by calling 311.
Voters’ list
- The deadline for voters to confirm that they are on the voters’ list and to add or update their information online using MyVote is Friday, May 26 at 4:30 p.m.
- After May 26, eligible voters can add themselves to the voters’ list when they go to vote in person during advance vote (June 8 to 13) or on election day (June 26).
- Voters must show identification with their name and qualifying Toronto address to be added to the voters’ list. Photo ID is not necessary.
Voter information cards & Identification
- Starting Tuesday, May 23, voter information cards (VICs) will be mailed to those on the voters’ list as of Sunday, May 14.
- Starting Thursday, June 1, eligible voters who do not receive a VIC in the mail but are on the voters’ list by Friday, May 26 can view, download or print their VIC using MyVote.
- The VIC provides information about when and where to vote during both advance voting and on election day
- When they go to vote, voters should bring both their VIC and identification (ID) showing their name and qualifying Toronto address, as it will help identify them as eligible voters and contribute to a more efficient voting experience.
- Photo ID is not necessary.
- Acceptable types of identification are listed on the Toronto Elections webpage.
- A VIC is not mandatory to vote and cannot be used as ID. Voters can use their mobile device to show their VIC.
By-election security
- Once advance vote and election day marked ballots are received and returned to Toronto Elections, they will be secured and locked.
- Advance Vote tabulators are secured from the end of advance vote until election night when advance vote results are tabulated.
- Election records, including marked ballots, are retained for 120 days after declaring the results of the election.
Voter Assist Terminal
- The Voter Assist Terminal (VAT) is a machine that marks paper ballots, allowing voters with disabilities and other accommodation needs to select the candidate of their choice privately and independently.
- Once a voter uses the VAT to mark their ballot, it is fed into the tabulator to be counted.
- VAT features include a touch screen, an audio component, a braille keypad, a sip/puff tube device, a rocker paddle/foot switch and zoom features to adjust font sizes and colour contrast.
- The VAT can be personalized to individual needs by adjusting settings such as font size, contrast level and the pace and volume of the audio.
- 50 VATs will be deployed throughout the city during voting days. They will be at all 50 advance vote locations and at the same locations on election day.
By-election supply carts
- The elections supply cart is a key component of the supply chain model that was introduced for the 2022 general election.
- Carts are used to deliver by-election materials and everything needed by voting place staff during advance vote and on election day.
- Carts are prepared for direct delivery to voting places, including 50 carts for advance voting and 1,344 for election day.
- The voting materials and equipment in the carts are customized for each voting location and are locked and labelled by ward and subdivision.
DS200 Tabulator
- The DS200 is a device used to tabulate votes and will be located at each voting location.
- The DS200 takes about 10 to 15 minutes to set up and can process 12 ballots per minute.
- There are approximately 1,450 DS200 tabulators (1,350 for election day and 100 for advance vote).
- Prior to voting, all tabulators undergo preventative maintenance, programming, logic and accuracy testing, and post-election testing to ensure they count as intended.
Central count DS950
- The DS950 is a high-speed central-count tabulator used to process large quantities of ballots.
- It will be used to tabulate mail-in voting ballots and ballots from Long Term Care voting locations on election day.
- This equipment counts approximately 250 ballots per minute.
MyVote web application
- MyVote is a web application that helps voters prepare for the by-election. Eligible voters can enter their Toronto address to:
- Check or update their voter information on the voters’ list (up to Friday, May 26)
- Apply to vote by mail (up to May 26) and track the progress of their package
- Check the candidates running for mayor
- Find their ward and map
- Find out where and when to vote (starting Thursday, June 1)
- View, download or print their voter information card (starting June 1)
- Find accessibility information about voting places (starting June 1)
- View a sample ballot (starting June 1)
Accessibility
- Voting locations will be accessible on voting days.
- Information about accessibility ramps, entrance to voting locations and the availability of Voter Assist Terminals (VATs) machines for each location will be available online starting June 1 on MyVote.
- To provide voters with disabilities the opportunity to vote independently, Voter Assist Terminals (VATs) will be available at each advance vote location and two locations in each ward on election day. Voters who require access to a VAT on election day, but do not have one located at their designated voting location, can call in advance to request a ballot transfer by calling 416-338-1111, press 6.
- The How to Vote Guide is available in braille at all voting locations.
- The sample ballot available on MyVote is accessible, to allow blind or partially sighted voters to preview their ballot.
- Voters who are physically unable to go inside the voting place can request curbside voting, where their ballot is brought to their vehicle, outside of the building or to another area within the voting place.
- Voters who require assistance at the voting place may bring a friend along to help or may ask an election official for assistance.
- To address barriers to voting for people with disabilities, Toronto Elections has established a dedicated email address (accessibleelections@toronto.ca), telephone line (416-338-1111, press 6) and TTY (416-mailto:accessibleelections@toronto.ca), t338-0889).
Election Results
- Real-time unofficial election results will be available as they are submitted after 8 p.m. and will be posted on the Toronto Elections Results webpage.
- The official election results are anticipated to be certified by City Clerk on Wednesday, June 28.
- Voter statistics will be available at least 30 days after election day.
- A technical briefing to inform media outlets how results will be provided on election night will be held on Thursday, June 1.
- A testing session for media outlets downloading and accessing results will be held from 8 to 10 p.m. on Monday, June 5.
Voter turnout in past elections
| Year |
Advance Turnout |
Eligible Electors |
Final Turnout |
Voter Turnout (%) |
| 2022 |
115,911 |
1,898,750 |
563,124 |
30% |
| 2018 |
124,299 |
1,880,371 |
769,044 |
41% |
| 2014 |
161,147 |
1,813,915 |
991,754 |
55% |
| 2010 |
77,365 |
1,637,310 |
827,723 |
51% |
| 2006 |
42,412 |
1,521,121 |
597,754 |
39% |
| 2003 |
42,599 |
1,825,139 |
699,492 |
38% |
| 2000 |
26,487 |
1,735,542 |
626,759 |
36% |
Key resources
