Here's how many mail-in ballots will actually count in Ottawa's municipal election

Nearly half of voters who requested mail-in voter kits for Ottawa’s upcoming municipal election did not have their ballots received by the deadline, according to the city clerk.

This year, the city issued special ballot voter kits to 5,511 eligible voters, but the elections office said it received only 2,957 of those ballots — 53 per cent — by the 8 p.m. deadline on Oct. 16, city clerk Caitlin Salter MacDonald wrote in a statement.

A total of 2,494 voters had not returned their voter kits by the deadline, the city said, and another 60 electors who requested mail-in ballots instead chose to cast their votes during the advance voting period.

The city did not respond before publication to a question about how many ballots were rejected by the elections office for arriving after the Oct. 16 deadline.

Voters were notified by email on Tuesday — four days after the last early voting opportunity and six days before the election — that their mail-in ballots had not been received by the deadline and therefore would not be counted.

Getting this email was a shock for Ottawa resident Colleen Francis, who said she put her ballot in the mail at a Canada Post office more than a week before the Oct. 16 deadline. She wasn’t alone, with many others echoing the same frustration on social media.

“I dropped it in the morning, so to go eight days to wherever it has to go seems shocking,” Francis told the Ottawa Citizen on Oct. 22. “You would think that Canada Post would at least prioritize the ballots — they’re in big, yellow envelopes.”

Knowing she wouldn’t be in the city on election day, Francis opted for a mail-in ballot to ensure she could still vote. But now, she said, she’s not sure if she’ll be able to cast a ballot.

“My vote is wasted, which is maddening,” she said.

Mail-in voting timelines were established by the city clerk in accordance with the Municipal Elections Act and took Canada Post’s delivery standards into consideration, according to Salter MacDonald.

“To support timely delivery, the elections office worked directly with Canada Post to ensure they were aware of the return deadline and to expedite processing of special mail-in ballot envelopes wherever possible,” Salter MacDonald wrote.” While Canada Post’s standard delivery timelines indicated that this timeframe would generally be sufficient, mail service and delivery remains outside the control of the municipality.”

A Canada Post spokesperson added a special team was working with the City of Ottawa on its election mailings, and its Ottawa operations team indicated items were delivered without delay between Oct. 5 and 12, while noting no mail was delivered on Oct. 12, which was Thanksgiving Monday.

“As there is no tracking system for these individual pieces, we may not be able to determine when these specific mail items were deposited or when they arrived at the destination,” the spokesperson wrote.

The delivery standard for mail delivery within a city is two days from the time a letter arrives at the processing plant, Canada Post said.

In 2022, the first time mail-in ballots were available to Ottawa voters for the municipal election, the city issued 10,179 mail-in ballots and received 8,685 votes — amounting to 85 per cent of the mail-in kits distributed — by the deadline.

The city did not state why such a high percentage of ballots weren’t received ahead of the 2026 municipal election.

“If it was 10 per cent (of ballots not received), I’d be not really concerned about it,” Francis said. “But, if it’s almost half, then something has gone horribly wrong that the city, I think, needs to correct.”

The city stated voters would still have an opportunity to vote in person on voting day on Oct. 26, and those who could not vote in person were encouraged to contact the elections office for assistance.

“Staff will help identify the options available to ensure electors are able to participate in this election, including assistance with the proxy voting process.”

Voting day for Ottawa’s municipal election is on Monday, Oct. 26, when voters will elect the city’s mayor, councillors and school board trustees. Polling stations across the city are scheduled to be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.