Kids Vote Weekend

Kids Vote Weekend runs Saturday, October 10 and Sunday, October 11, 2026, at advance voting places across Toronto, organized by Toronto Elections. It is free and open to anyone under 18.

The idea is simple and very good. While adults get a head start on the October 26 municipal election, kids can cast their own ballot to choose Toronto's Tree of the Year from five candidates. The City plants up to 120,000 trees a year, and they clean the air, provide shade and support wildlife, so it is a nice way to connect a civic ritual to something kids can see on their own street. The winning tree will be announced after election day.

The bigger goal is to help young people learn how elections work and start their journey to becoming lifelong voters. Kids get to experience the real process: finding the voting place, getting a ballot and marking their choice, which demystifies the whole thing far better than a lesson at school.

It also fits neatly with an adult's errand. If you are planning to vote in advance over the Thanksgiving long weekend, bring the kids along and let them vote too. Check the City's Kids Vote Weekend page for the list of participating advance voting locations and hours, since not every site may take part.

Toronto Public Library branches are also running related Kids Vote Weekend programs, like tree-themed craft sessions, so it is worth checking your local branch's events calendar if you want to make a morning of it. For adults, the City's elections pages explain who is eligible to vote, what ID to bring and where your assigned advance and election-day voting places are.