The City of Ottawa says its “Am I on the Voters’ List?” tool is working as intended, but it requires exact details to pull up your name. Several residents of Ottawa, including some city councillors, posted on social media to say the city’s online tool couldn’t find them, despite living in the city for years, if not decades. In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, the City of Ottawa says the measures in place to protect residents’ information mean the tool requires a precise entry. “To protect electors’ personal information and prevent unauthorized access, the tool only returns results when the information entered is an exact match to the information that appears on the Voters’ List,” said city clerk Catilin Salter MacDonald. “Any discrepancy will result in a message indicating that the elector cannot be found on the Voters’ List, along with guidance on how to review the information entered and try the search again. For example, if an elector’s name on the Voters’ List includes a middle name or middle initial, that information must also be entered when using the search tool. If it is omitted, the search may be unsuccessful.” The list requires voters to enter their first and last names, but the middle name is not considered a mandatory field, despite possibly being required to find oneself on the list. The information on the city’s list was provided by Elections Ontario, MacDonald said. “Elections Ontario maintains Ontario’s Permanent Register of Electors, which is used to prepare the preliminary list of electors for municipalities across the province. The 2026 municipal election is the first general election in which Elections Ontario has provided the preliminary list following legislative changes in 2024. Previously, this responsibility belonged to the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC),” she said. If you are having trouble finding your name, you can try the following: What if you still can’t find your name? If you are still not finding your name, you can can contact the Elections Office for assistance at elections@ottawa.ca or 613-580-2660. Staff are available to assist electors with this process during regular business hours (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.). From Sept. 1 to Sept. 20, electors may add or update their information on the Voters’ List by submitting a completed Application to Add or Amend My Information on the Voters’ List by email, mail, or in person at the Elections Office or a Client Service Centre. After Sept. 20, eligible electors may still add or update their information at their voting place on voting days and may still vote, the city says. Voter notification letters Voter notification letters have been mailed out to voters who appeared on the preliminary voters’ list as of Aug. 24. The letters include information on how, when, and where to vote on special advance voting days, advance voting days, and on election day. If you did not receive a letter, you can find out where to cast a ballot using the city’s “Where Do I Vote?” tool online, which requires only a street number and street name. You do not need to receive a voter notification letter in order to cast a ballot. The letter also does not serve as applicable ID when voting. To cast a ballot in Ottawa’s municipal election, you must be the following on election day:
