Key Facts
- What: The National Electoral Council (CNE), Ecuador's electoral authority, held the first of two national election drills on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. A second, on Nov. 15, tests vote counting.
- Election day: Voting is on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2026, with about 13.8 million registered voters.
- At stake: 23 prefects (provincial governors), 222 mayors, and about 5,500 council and parish seats.
- Latest poll found: AtlasIntel, a polling firm, has Pabel Muñoz, a Quito mayoral candidate, at 21.1% in Quito. Cynthia Viteri leads Guayaquil at 38.7%.
First National Drill Held
The National Electoral Council (CNE), Ecuador's electoral authority, held the first of two national election drills on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. The exercise was meant to test equipment and gauge how ready election workers are, as part of our Ecuador local elections 2026 coverage.
No results from the drill, such as turnout or incidents, were available in the sources reviewed. The second drill, on Nov. 15, will focus on the vote-counting systems.
Calendar to Election Day
Voting takes place on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2026. The CNE publishes the definitive candidate list on Nov. 9 and distributes US$13.4 million in public funds for campaign publicity on Nov. 11.
The official campaign runs from Nov. 12 to Nov. 26, with 45 mandatory debates in places with more than 100,000 voters. Unsentenced prisoners vote on Nov. 26, and a "vote at home" day is set for Nov. 27.
Electoral silence, a ban on campaigning, runs from Nov. 27 to Nov. 29. In late October, ballot printing was 63% complete.
The CNE has set up 2,500 alternative polling sites because of El Niño, a climate pattern that brings heavy rain and flooding to Ecuador.
What Voters Will Decide
About 13.8 million people are registered to vote. They will choose 23 provincial prefects and vice-prefects, 222 mayors, 909 urban councillors and 457 rural councillors.
Voters will also fill 4,131 rural parish board seats and pick members of the Citizen Participation and Social Control Council (CPCCS), a state oversight body. The CNE has budgeted US$102,365,407.35 for the elections.
Latest Poll Shows Open Races
The most recent poll found, by the polling firm AtlasIntel, ran from Sept. 26 to Oct. 2 and was published on Oct. 4. It was run through social media rather than as a probability sample, with 800 to 1,600 respondents per locality and a reported margin of error of 2%.
In Quito, Pabel Muñoz, a Quito mayoral candidate, led with 21.1%, ahead of Harold Burbano of ADN, the governing party of President Daniel Noboa, at 16.6%, and former mayor Jorge Yunda at 11.9%. Some 59.4% wanted different leadership and 9.6% preferred continuity.
In Guayaquil, Cynthia Viteri, an ADN candidate, led with 38.7%, followed by Fiorella Ycaza of the Ecuadorian Socialist party at 15.3% and Andrés Roche of the Social Christian party at 11.9%. Some 58.8% wanted change, 27.3% preferred continuity and 14% were undecided.
For prefect, the top official of a province, AtlasIntel had candidate Andrés Guschmer at 31.4% in Guayas, Paolo Carpio at 19.4% in Azuay and Giovanna Ubidia of ADN at 17.4% in Pichincha, the province around Quito. In the Cuenca mayoral race, Juan Carlos Vega of ADN stood at 22.5%.
What It Means for US Readers
Ecuador votes on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2026, and its clocks match US Eastern Time that day. Voting abroad runs from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. in each country's local time zone.
About 496,308 Ecuadorians living abroad are registered to vote in the Nov. 29 elections, according to the CNE. Voting is optional for Ecuadorians living abroad.
What Is Not Known
No live prediction-market odds for the Quito or Guayaquil mayoral races could be found. No poll published after Oct. 4 was found either, so the AtlasIntel figures may not reflect the current mood.
The CNE has not published results from the Nov. 1 drill, including turnout or incidents. The CNE has declined to say how many areas El Niño could affect on election day.
No decision to postpone voting in any locality has been reported.
Frequently Asked Questions
When are Ecuador's local elections?
Voting is on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2026, for local offices across the country.
What offices are on the ballot?
Voters will choose 23 prefects and vice-prefects, 222 mayors, 909 urban councillors, 457 rural councillors and 4,131 parish board members. They will also pick members of the CPCCS oversight council.
Who leads the latest poll in Quito and Guayaquil?
AtlasIntel, in a poll published Oct. 4, had Pabel Muñoz at 21.1% in Quito and Cynthia Viteri at 38.7% in Guayaquil. The poll ran through social media, so it is not a probability sample.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief