Ottawa's city clerk reported that nearly half of the mail-in ballots sent to voters were not received by the Oct. 16 deadline. The city sent out ballots to approximately 350,000 registered voters ahead of the municipal election. Officials noted that the delay could affect the accuracy of the vote count. The deadline was set to allow time for ballots to be processed before the election results were announced.
The city had previously warned voters about the importance of returning ballots on time. Despite multiple reminders, a significant portion of the mail-in ballots arrived late. This situation has raised concerns about voter participation and the efficiency of the electoral process. The city is now working to ensure all valid ballots are counted. The election results are expected to be announced in early November.
