Today, voters will decide who will represent them on city council and school boards for the next four years.
Polling stations will be open at locations throughout the city from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. after which the votes will be counted and elected officials announced. Check in with GuelphToday as the tallying process unfolds.
Eligible voters can cast ballots for any one of the six candidates running for mayor, in addition to selecting up to two candidates running in their ward, as well as school board trustees.
The current city council approved new ward boundaries last summer that come into effect for this election and beyond, maintaining the six-ward model with two elected from each for a total of 12 councillors and a mayor.
To confirm which ward you’re in, check out the city’s interactive map.
In order to cast a ballot, voters are required to show documents indicating their name and address.
The next term of council will begin Nov. 15.
There are about 105,000 eligible voters in the city, clerk Stephen O'Brien said, noting that number will likely fluctuate as the election progresses due to people missing from the voters list and the potential inclusion of some who no longer live in the city.
Voter turnout in the 2018 municipal election was about 37 per cent, down about six per cent from the 2014 election.
Six days of advanced voting earlier this month saw more than 7,300 voters cast their ballot in the city. That figure, which includes some mail-in ballots, accounts for about seven per cent of eligible voters.
During three days of advanced polls in 2018, there were about 5,400 ballots cast, accounting for six per cent of eligible voters.
The 2014 municipal election saw 2,985 advanced in-person ballots with another 12,726 from advanced online voting – something city council hasn’t allowed since.
