Press Release: PoliticsNOW Launches ElectNOW 2026 to Help Voters Meet the Women Running in Municipal Elections
IMMEDIATE RELEASE NORTHERN ONTARIO — October 4, 2026 — PoliticsNOW has launched ElectNOW 2026, an initiative introducing voters to women running for municipal councils and school boards across Northern Ontario.
Through ElectNOW, participating candidates answer questions about their priorities, values, communities, and the experience they would bring to elected office. Candidate profiles are published on the PoliticsNOW website and shared through the organization’s social media channels in the lead-up to Election Day on October 26, 2026.
The initiative is designed to help voters learn more about the women putting their names forward for local office while giving candidates an additional platform to introduce themselves and their campaigns to their communities.
“Municipal elections have an enormous impact on our everyday lives, but it can still be difficult for voters to find information about the people asking for their vote,” says Amanda Kingsley Malo, Founder of PoliticsNOW. “ElectNOW is about creating another way for voters to discover the women stepping forward to lead, hear directly from them about what matters to them, and learn more about the choices on their ballot.”
PoliticsNOW first launched ElectNOW during the 2022 municipal election, featuring 43 women candidates from communities across Northern Ontario. By mid-October that year, the initiative had reached more than 15,000 people through social media, with candidate profiles viewed more than 1,400 times on the PoliticsNOW website.
For ElectNOW 2026, PoliticsNOW has worked to identify and contact women running across Northern Ontario and invite them to participate. However, with hundreds of municipal and school board races taking place across the region, the organization recognizes that some eligible candidates may not have been reached directly.
“We have done our best to find and connect with women candidates across Northern Ontario, but we know we will not have found everyone,” continues Kingsley Malo. “If you are running and you did not receive an invitation from us, we still want to hear from you. ElectNOW is not a closed list — we want to include as many women putting their names forward in Northern Ontario as we can.”
Participation in ElectNOW is free and voluntary. Candidate responses are published in their own words, and participation does not constitute an endorsement by PoliticsNOW.
Women running for head of council (mayor, reeve, etc.), municipal council, or school board trustee in Northern Ontario who have not yet participated can complete the ElectNOW 2026 candidate questionnaire.
Voters can explore published ElectNOW 2026 candidate profiles on the PoliticsNOW Website. Additional profiles will continue to be added as submissions are received.
ElectNOW is part of PoliticsNOW’s broader work since 2017 to increase women’s participation and representation in politics. PoliticsNOW has supported more than 80 campaigns across Ontario and helped elect more than 60 women to public office over the course of two municipal elections.
ABOUT POLITICSNOW:
PoliticsNOW is a grassroots catalyst group dedicated to electing women and advancing inclusive leadership in politics, with a special focus on Northern Ontario. Since their founding in 2017, PoliticsNOW has supported more than 80 campaigns across Ontario and helped elect over 60 women to public office. Through campaign training, governance workshops, and advocacy initiatives, the organization equips women and gender-diverse leaders with the tools, networks, and confidence they need to succeed in politics.