Mississauga residents are casting their ballots today and this evening following months of campaigning by candidates running for mayor, city council and school board trustee positions.

Headlining the 2026 municipal election in Mississauga is a hotly contested mayoral race featuring four main candidates — including the current mayor and her predecessor — among a larger field of 14 hopefuls vying for the city’s top elected office.

Incumbent Carolyn Parrish and former mayor Bonnie Crombie, who traded pointed attacks during the campaign’s high-stakes debates, are attempting to fend off challenges from city councillors Alvin Tedjo and Dipika Damerla.

Campaign watchers in Mississauga — and several polls — note more recently Tedjo appears to have garnered additional support that has perhaps vaulted him into a close three-way race as election night arrives.

Record numbers turned out for advance voting

Municipal election voters who didn’t cast ballots earlier this month during record-setting advance polling in Mississauga are doing so today and tonight.

City of Mississauga officials remind residents that voting today is open until 8 p.m. across the city.

The victorious candidates will serve in their positions for the next term of office, which runs from 2026-2030.

Local election officials say people can vote on Oct. 26 at any location in their ward.

“To make voting easier, confirm you’re on the voters’ list before you visit a voting location,” officials said in again providing election information to the community. “If you received a voter notification card in September, bring it with you. The card is not required to vote, but it shows your voting information and can help speed up the process.”

To vote in the 2026 municipal election, those casting ballots must be:

A Canadian citizen. 
At least 18 years old.
A resident of Mississauga, or non-resident who owns or rents property in Mississauga, or whose spouse does.   

Voters also must bring one piece of acceptable identification that shows their name and qualifying Mississauga address, such as: 

The city encourages residents to vote in the upcoming election, saying “voting is a direct way to have a say in how Mississauga grows, how services are delivered and who represents your community. Your vote helps shape decisions about your daily life, including decisions about roads, parks, transit, community programs and other local services.”

Parrish and Crombie have done battle before

The heated mayoral campaign in Mississauga isn’t the first time Parrish and Crombie have gone toe-to-toe in political battle.

Parrish, who won a mayoral byelection in June 2024 to succeed Crombie, and her predecessor have engaged in a highly competitive municipal election campaign prior to 2026.

Crombie defeated Parrish (2,479 votes to 2,239 votes) in a September 2011 byelection for the Ward 5 council seat. Parrish later became councillor in that ward when Crombie succeeded Hazel McCallion as mayor in 2014.

Crombie then left the mayor’s post in Mississauga in January 2024 to become leader of the Ontario Liberal Party and take a shot at unseating Premier Doug Ford.

The other 10 candidates for mayor of Mississauga are:

David Shaw — ran in both the 2024 mayoral byelection and 2022 municipal election for mayor. Registered to run May 1
Mike Matulewicz — ran in the 2024 mayoral byelection. Registered to run May 5
Amjad Jilani — registered to run July 14
Frank Fang — ran in the 2024 mayoral byelection and competed for the Ward 9 council seat in the 2022 municipal election. Registered to run July 15
Fadi Naami — registered to run July 20
Karam Ahmed — registered to run Aug. 20
Aamir Bhatti — registered to run Aug. 21
Gord Elliott — registered to run Aug. 21
Mohsin Khan — registered to run Aug. 18
Ana Luisa Vasquez De Espinal — registered to run Aug. 11

For more information on who’s running, how and where to vote, and the election in general, visit the city’s election page online.


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