Northwest Territories, Canada Municipal elections 2026 — Live Results & Map

Two polling days in the Northwest Territories

Municipal voting in the Northwest Territories in 2026 falls on two separate dates, because the territory's communities are not all on the same cycle. Yellowknife, the capital and the territory's only city, votes on Monday 19 October 2026. The hamlets vote on Monday 14 December 2026, the second Monday of December, which is when territorial hamlet general elections are held.

This page covers both, because they are one municipal cycle even though they are seven weeks apart.

Yellowknife on 19 October

Yellowknife voters elect a mayor, city councillors and school board trustees, all for four-year terms. The last election was on 17 October 2022. One thing is new this time: the city is relying on Elections NWT to help run the vote for the first time, rather than administering it entirely on its own. Nominations opened on 8 September and closed on 21 September.

The city has roughly 20,000 residents — close to half the territory's population — and its council decides on matters that in a larger jurisdiction would be split across several levels of government: municipal taxation, water and utilities in a subarctic climate, land use as the diamond-mining economy that built the modern city winds down, and the relationship with the surrounding Yellowknives Dene First Nation.

The hamlets on 14 December

Hamlet general elections are scheduled for 14 December 2026 in communities including Aklavik, Fort McPherson, Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour, Tsiigehtchic, Tuktoyaktuk, Tulita and Ulukhaktok. These are small communities — several have populations in the hundreds — spread across the Mackenzie Delta, the Sahtu and the Beaufort Sea coast, and their councils are the whole of local government there.

Hamlet elections run under the Local Authorities Elections Act, which allows a council to appoint a returning officer and registrar by motion at any time after 1 January of an election year. The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA) publishes the countdown calendar and supports communities through the process.

How municipal voting works in the territory

Municipal elections in the Northwest Territories are non-partisan: candidates stand as individuals, there are no municipal parties, and in the smaller communities seats are quite often filled by acclamation when the number of candidates does not exceed the number of places. Mayors are elected directly by plurality; councillors are elected at large by plurality block voting, each voter marking as many names as there are seats.

What ElectioMap will show

This page carries the Yellowknife mayoral and council result after 19 October, and adds the hamlet results after 14 December, from the municipalities and from Elections NWT and MACA. Figures are published with their source and, where the returning officer reports it, turnout. In communities where an office is filled by acclamation, that is stated rather than shown as a vote.

Frequently asked questions

When do the Northwest Territories vote in 2026?

On two dates. Yellowknife, the territory's only city, elects a mayor, councillors and school trustees on Monday 19 October 2026. Hamlet general elections follow on Monday 14 December 2026, the second Monday of December, in communities including Aklavik, Fort McPherson, Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour, Tsiigehtchic, Tuktoyaktuk, Tulita and Ulukhaktok.

Why are there two polling days?

Yellowknife and the hamlets sit on different statutory cycles. Yellowknife's last election was 17 October 2022 and its terms run four years; hamlet general elections are held in December under the Local Authorities Elections Act.

What is new about the Yellowknife election this time?

The city is relying on Elections NWT to help run the vote for the first time, rather than administering it entirely itself. Nominations opened on 8 September 2026 and closed on 21 September.

How does municipal voting work in the territory?

Elections are non-partisan — candidates stand as individuals and there are no municipal parties. Mayors are elected directly by plurality; councillors are elected at large by plurality block voting, each voter marking as many names as there are seats. In smaller communities seats are quite often filled by acclamation when candidates do not outnumber places.

Who administers these elections?

Each municipality appoints its own returning officer and registrar, with support from the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA), which publishes the election calendars. Elections NWT is assisting Yellowknife for the first time in 2026.

What do these councils do?

In Yellowknife, a city of roughly 20,000 people — close to half the territory's population — the council handles municipal taxation, water and utilities in a subarctic climate, land use as the diamond-mining economy winds down, and the relationship with the surrounding Yellowknives Dene First Nation. In the hamlets, several of which have populations in the hundreds, the council is the whole of local government.

When will results be available?

Each community declares its own result, usually the same evening. This page carries the Yellowknife figures after 19 October and adds the hamlet results after 14 December, each with its source and, where the returning officer reports it, turnout.

Compiled and reviewed from official results by ElectioMap. See our data methodology.