Politics · Canada · 1 day ago
Braeden Chow’s candidacy raises ballot confusion risk for Toronto mayor
Toronto’s mayoral race has tightened, with incumbent Olivia Chow facing challenger Brad Bradford.
Another candidate, Braeden Chow, has the same last name as the mayor and appears immediately above her on the ballot.
Political scientists say some voters could mistakenly mark his name instead of hers.
Olivia Chow said she nearly made that mistake herself and urged voters to check the ballot carefully.
Braeden Chow says he was not recruited to run and endorses Olivia Chow, but her campaign says the two are not related.
A poll cited in the story put Olivia Chow 2.9 percentage points ahead of Bradford, with a margin of error of 3.1 points, so confusion over votes could matter.
Braeden Chow’s candidacy could confuse Toronto voters because his name appears immediately above incumbent Olivia Chow’s on the mayoral ballot.
Political scientists told The Globe and Mail that miscast votes could matter in a close race.
Olivia Chow said she nearly voted for Braeden Chow and her campaign urged voters to choose her, listed as number 9.
Braeden Chow said nobody recruited him to run and that he hoped Olivia Chow would win.
Olivia Chow’s campaign said the two are not related, despite Braeden Chow’s claim that he is her second cousin.
- Who
- Braeden Chow and incumbent Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow are candidates in the mayoral race.
- What
- Braeden Chow’s name appears immediately above Olivia Chow’s on the ballot, raising concerns that voters could choose the wrong candidate.
- When
- The article was published on Oct. 10, 2026. The poll cited was conducted Oct. 6 and 7.
- Where
- Toronto, Canada.
- Why
- Political scientists said name confusion could affect the result in a tight race.
Braeden Chow
Olivia Chow’s campaign
Family relationship
Braeden Chow
Braeden Chow said he is Olivia Chow’s second cousin.
Olivia Chow’s campaign
The campaign said Braeden Chow is not related to Olivia Chow.
It’s a serious issue
I’d feel bad for sure if that happened
We can confirm that Braeden Chow is not related to Olivia Chow
I just noticed there is two Chows on the ballot and there is one before me
Mainstreet Research conducted a poll of 1,000 people about the mayoral race.
Braeden Chow was photographed for The Globe and Mail.
The Globe and Mail published its report on the risk of voter confusion.
- Ballot position
- Braeden Chow appears immediately above Olivia Chow
- Olivia Chow’s ballot number
- 9
- Poll lead
- Olivia Chow led Brad Bradford by 2.9 points among decided and leaning voters
- Poll size
- 1,000 people
- Poll margin of error
- 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20
Sources
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