How and when do I vote in the Markham municipal election 2026?

How and When to Vote

Final voting day is Monday, October 26, 2026.

The online window is the longest and opens first. Eleven days of online voting means there is no practical reason to miss this election. Special ballots are by appointment only and close on October 22, four days before the others.

Elections Markham can be reached at 905-477-7000 extension 8683, which spells VOTE, or at vote@markham.ca.

Who Is Running

Mayor: three candidates

Stephen Edgell, Martin Ross and Frank Scarpitti. The incumbent mayor is seeking re-election.

Regional Councillor: eleven candidates for four seats

This is the most contested race on the ballot, and the structure catches people out. Markham's four regional councillors are elected city-wide, at large, not by ward. Every Markham voter votes in this race.

The candidates are Paul Chiang, Amanda Yeung Collucci, Don Hamilton, Jack Heath, Alan Ho, Michael Huang, Jim Jones, Ivy Lee, Joe Li, Joe Tay and Richard Tranquada.

Ward Councillor: thirty candidates across eight wards

Markham has eight wards, each electing one councillor. The number of candidates varies sharply by ward.

Ward 6, covering north Markham including the Angus Glen, Cachet and Victoria Square area, has seven candidates. Ward 3 has six. Wards 1, 4 and 8 have two each.

School board trustee: nineteen candidates

Twelve for the York Region District School Board, four for York Catholic, one for Conseil scolaire Viamonde and two for Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir.

Are You Eligible?

To vote in Markham you must be:

• 18 years of age or older by final voting day, October 26, 2026
• A Canadian citizen
• A Markham resident, or a landowner or tenant in Markham, or the spouse of one
• Registered on the voters list

You cannot vote if you are serving a sentence of imprisonment, or have been convicted of a corrupt practice under the Municipal Elections Act.

Two provisions worth knowing. People without a permanent address may use the location they have most frequented in the past five weeks. Students may use a letter from a residence administrator.

Note the landowner and tenant provision carefully. If you own property in Markham but live elsewhere, you are eligible to vote in Markham. That covers a meaningful number of investors and owners of secondary properties.

How to Register and Find Your Ward

The City runs two tools:

• Register to vote or check your registration: markham.ca, elections section, register to vote
• Voter Information Tool: confirms which ward you are in and who is running in it

Check your registration now rather than in the third week of October. The official candidate list is published at markham.ca under elections, candidates and third party advertisers.

The Issues That Touch Property Owners

Michael John Lau, a REALTOR® serving home buyers and home sellers in Markham, Ontario, does not endorse candidates and does not take positions on municipal races. What follows is a list of the files a Markham property owner may want to ask candidates about, not a view on how any of them should be decided.

Development and intensification

Several substantial applications are in review, none of them yet approved. They include roughly 2,877 units at Highway 48 and 19th Avenue, 1,183 units in four buildings from 9 to 42 storeys at Leslie Street near Highway 7, a 46-storey 504-unit purpose-built rental tower at 7015 and 7027 Yonge Street, 1,711 units in four towers at 3085 Highway 7, and 1,218 units at 9421 and 9441 Markham Road. Separately, the province has proposed roughly 2,090 homes beside Mount Joy GO.

The Markham Road and Mount Joy Secondary Plan

Adopted as Official Plan Amendment 53 in June 2024 and approved by York Region that same month, it contemplates roughly 33,000 residents, 6,000 jobs, nine parks and two schools. It is currently under appeal at the Ontario Land Tribunal.

Property taxes

Markham approved a 3.90 percent City tax rate increase for 2026, which the City described as the lowest average increase across Greater Toronto Area municipalities in two decades. The average residential bill is approximately $5,947, split between York Region at 54.28 percent, the City at 24.55 percent and education at 21.17 percent.

Roads and transit

York Region is widening 16th Avenue from Leslie to Warden between summer 2026 and fall 2028, Ninth Line from Steeles to 14th Avenue through late 2027, Kennedy Road for bus rapid transit from 2027, and McCowan Road from 14th Avenue to Highway 7 from 2028. The Yonge North Subway Extension will serve the Thornhill side of Markham, with tunnelling expected to begin in early 2027.

Housing supply

Markham committed to 44,000 new homes by 2031 under a Municipal Housing Pledge. In 2024 the City permitted a record 4,216 units but only 1,825 housing starts were recognised by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, and Markham did not qualify for Building Faster Fund money as a result.

Michael John Lau, REALTOR® · Markham, Ontario · (416) 700-0286
Disclaimer. Michael John Lau is a licensed REALTOR® serving buyers and sellers in Markham, Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area. This article is non-partisan information and does not endorse any candidate. Election dates, candidate lists and voting procedures are current to September 2026. Voters are encouraged to confirm all details directly with Elections Markham at markham.ca.