Guelph · 2026 municipal election
You do not have to go to a polling station to vote.
There are three other ways to cast a ballot in Guelph this October: by mail, from your own home, or through someone you trust. All three have to be arranged in advance, and the deadline for two of them is October 9.
If you live in the Village by the Arboretum
There has been a voting station inside the Village for about twenty years. There will not be one this time. On August 26, 2026 the City Clerk confirmed in writing that the Village by the Arboretum will not be a public voting location for this election, and that voting locations will not be changing between now and election day.
On election day, Monday October 26, the Clerk's Office has pointed Village residents to two places: the University Centre at the University of Guelph and the Delta Hotels Guelph Conference Centre, 50 Stone Road West. The Delta is Ward 5's accessibility hub, with equipment for voters who cannot mark a ballot on their own. Residents of the Village of Arbour Trails have a special voting location on election day, which the Clerk's staff have arranged with the administrators there.
If neither of those is realistic for you, the three options below exist for exactly this situation. Your voter notification card will also tell you your own assigned location when it arrives in the mail, and the City has a map of every voting location.
The three ways to vote without travelling
All three are run by the City, not by any campaign. Pick the one that sounds like you.
Vote by mail
The City mails you a ballot kit. You mark it at your kitchen table and send it back, or drop it off.
Best if: Anyone who would rather not go to a voting location at all.
Request by October 9, 2026
Weekdays. Say you would like a Vote by Mail kit. They do the rest.
The City's online request form. Have a photo of your ID ready to upload.
What happens, step by step
- Request a kit online, or by phone, between September 1 and October 9, 2026. Online, you have to upload a photo of acceptable ID.
- You must already be on the voters' list, or add yourself when you apply.
- Mail the completed kit back by October 15 to be safe.
- After that date, hand it in at ServiceGuelph during business hours, or use the secure drop box to the right of the main entrance at City Hall.
- You can also drop a completed kit at any advance voting location between October 10 and 18.
- However it gets there, it has to be in election officials' hands by 8 p.m. on October 26.
The paperwork and the fine print
- Check or add yourself to the voters' listElections Ontario. Do this before you request a kit - you cannot get one if you are not on the list.
- The exact list of ID the City will acceptYou have to upload a photo of one of these to get a kit.
- Drop a completed kit at ServiceGuelphThe counter at City Hall, 1 Carden Street, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. There is also a secure drop box to the right of the main entrance, open any time.
- The City's vote-by-mail rules, in fullOpens straight to the vote-by-mail section, not the top of the page.
- The City's formal vote-by-mail procedure (PDF)
Vote from home
Election officials come to you during business hours and you vote at home.
Best if: People who cannot get to a voting location, or manage a mail-in kit, because of injury, illness or disability.
Request by October 9, 2026
Weekdays. Say you would like a Vote from Home appointment.
Opens an email with the subject already written. Add your name, address and phone number.
What happens, step by step
- Phone 519-837-5625 or email guelphvotes@guelph.ca between September 1 and October 9, 2026.
- The elector, or someone they authorise, can make the request.
- You need to be on the voters' list, or apply to be added when you ask.
- Officials review the request and then contact you to book a time.
- Have acceptable identification ready for the appointment.
The paperwork and the fine print
- Check or add yourself to the voters' listElections Ontario. You have to be on the list, or ask to be added when you call.
- The exact list of ID they will acceptHave one of these ready for the appointment.
- The City's vote-from-home rules, in fullOpens straight to the vote-from-home section.
- The City's formal vote-from-home procedure (PDF)
Send someone you trust (a proxy)
You name another Guelph voter to cast your ballot for you. The form has to be certified before they can vote.
Best if: Anyone who cannot vote on any voting day and would rather send someone they trust.
Certify before election day - not available October 26
Weekdays. Book a time to have the form stamped. Do this before October 26.
This opens the form itself. Print two copies and fill them both in.
What happens, step by step
- Download and fill out two copies of the Province of Ontario's Appointment for Voting Proxy (Form 3).
- The person you pick has to be eligible to vote in Guelph.
- Book certification with the Clerk's Office from August 25, 2026 - phone 519-837-5625 or email guelphvotes@guelph.ca.
- Forms are not certified on election day, so do this beforehand.
- Your proxy brings the certified form and their own ID to a voting location.
- Someone can be a proxy for one unrelated voter, or for as many immediate family members as needed.
The paperwork and the fine print
- Or email them to book certificationOpens an email with the subject line already filled in.
- The City's proxy rules, in fullOpens straight to the proxy section.
- The City's formal proxy procedure (PDF)
Not sure which one is yours? Phone the City at 519-837-5625 and describe your situation. They will tell you which one fits and set it up on the call. There is no form to find first.
Or vote early, when it suits you
Advance voting runs at Guelph City Hall, 1 Carden Street from October 10 to 18 — 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on October 10 and 11, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. from October 12 to 16, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on October 17 and 18. Every advance location has accessible voting equipment, and City Hall has a scent-free, fully masked room available from October 16 to 18 and again on October 26.
Ward 5's own advance location is the University Centre at the University of Guelph, open October 16 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and October 17 and 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
On election day itself, October 26, City Hall is a “vote anywhere” location: any Guelph voter can vote there, whatever ward they live in. Polls are open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Who to call
Everything on this page is arranged through the City Clerk's Office, not through any campaign:
The City Clerk's Office, weekdays.
To ask for a mail-in kit online, use the City's request form. It is open until October 9, and you will need a photo of your ID.
Every date and deadline on this page was read off the City's own More Ways to Vote page on August 28, 2026, and the locations off its voting locations page. If the City changes something, the City's page is right and this one is out of date — please tell us so we can fix it.
Every link on one page
All of these go to the City of Guelph or the Province of Ontario. Nothing here goes through a campaign.
- Find your voting location on the City's map — Shows advance locations and which ones have accessible supports
- Which ward do I live in? — The City's ward boundary map
- Check or add yourself to the voters' list — Elections Ontario
- The exact list of identification that is accepted — Government of Ontario - the same list the City itself points to
- The City's answers to common voter questions — Information for Voters
- 2026 Municipal Election Accessibility Plan — What supports are available and where
- All 2026 voting locations and hours
- The City's More Ways to Vote page — The source for every date on this page
Also worth knowing
Know a neighbour who would rather have this on paper? Print this page and pass it along, or call the Clerk's Office on their behalf at 519-837-5625.