New measures and pilot projects set for municipal elections

Élections Québec ballot boxes, photographed in Montreal on Monday, Oct, 1, 2018. (The Canadian Press/Graham Hughes

Voters will see a number of changes during Quebec’s municipal elections on Nov. 2, which will be held in 1,100 municipalities and 21 regional county municipalities.

About 50 municipalities have agreed to take part in a pilot project that will add candidate photos to ballots. The same number will participate in a project that gives voters access to online profiles of candidates on municipal websites. A full list of participating municipalities is available on the Élections Québec website, overseen by the province’s chief electoral officer.

Electoral presidents will also be allowed to hold four days of advance voting in their offices, though the measure is optional. Advance voting can now take place over two days — on the Saturday and Sunday before election day — instead of Sunday and Monday as in past elections.

For the first time, all municipalities will be required to provide mobile voting teams for people with reduced mobility or health issues that prevent them from travelling to polling stations. Voters must request this service in advance from their returning officer.

Another first for municipal elections will be “children’s polling stations,” where kids will be invited to drop a ballot in response to the question: “What do you like most about your city?” A total of 128 municipalities have agreed to take part in the initiative.

Official nominations will run from Sept. 19 to Oct. 3. Voters will cast between two and eight ballots, depending on their municipality. Every community will hold a separate vote for mayor.

In municipalities divided into districts, voters will elect a councillor for their district. Where there are no divisions, they will vote for each council seat. Some regional county municipalities will also hold elections for their prefect, the head of the RCM council.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 15, 2025.