Methodology
A vote tracker is only as good as its sourcing. Here is exactly how this one is built, and what it cannot tell you.
Where the data comes from
Every vote is taken from the official minutes published by the Office of the City Clerk. Nothing here is reconstructed from news coverage or press releases. Each vote page links back to the minutes it came from. the City of Ottawa's agendas and minutes portal.
Only recorded votes are included
Most business at City Hall carries without a recorded vote. In those cases the minutes say “Carried” and there is no per-member position to publish. This tracker covers decisions where a recorded vote was taken.
Figures like how often a councillor sides with the mayor describe the contested decisions, not every decision council made.
How a vote gets onto the site
- An importer reads the published minutes for each council and committee meeting and extracts the recorded votes.
- Each name printed in the minutes, such as “T. Kavanagh”, is matched to the member who held that seat on the date of the meeting.
- The tally the Clerk printed is compared against the names listed. If they disagree, the vote is held back instead of being published.
- An editor reviews the imported vote, adds a plain-language explanation, tags the issues it touches, and publishes it.
Nothing reaches readers automatically. Anything the importer could not resolve is queued for review rather than guessed at.
What we do not infer
If a member is not listed in a recorded vote, we do not record them as absent. The minutes list who voted for and against. A missing member simply has no vote recorded on that item.
Coverage and corrections
The tracker covers the 2022–2026 term and will keep growing as new meetings are held. When the City updates a document, the importer picks up the correction on its next run.
Minutes last checked September 14, 2026.
If you find an error, tell us. A mistake is better fixed than defended. The minutes are always the authority.
Independence
This tracker does not endorse candidates and does not accept political advertising. It records what happened; it does not tell you who to vote for.