A new analysis of Ontario’s municipal elections suggests some modest improvements in competition, with fewer uncontested races but only sparse gains in the share of female candidates.

With 414 municipalities holding elections next month, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario says the trends are encouraging but they are no reason to relax efforts to strengthen local democracy.

Nearly one in four mayors, reeves and other heads of council have been acclaimed, down from the previous two election years.

Across Ontario, 400 candidates ran unopposed, also down from recent elections.

This year, 68 per cent of all candidates have never been in municipal office, a two-point increase over 2022.

The number of female candidates across Ontario ticked up by just one point compared to 2022, to 32 per cent.

“This year’s numbers show that Ontarians continue to step forward to serve their communities, with more than two-thirds of candidates new to the municipal election process,” Lindsay Jones, executive director of AMO, said in a statement.

“Strong municipal government depends on people being willing to put their names forward, compete in elections and take on the responsibility of representing their communities.”

There are 444 municipal governments in Ontario but only 414 hold elections, since some upper-tier municipalities are populated by lower-tier elections. Plus, in 19 municipalities the entire council was acclaimed.

The smallest of those is Township of Brethour, population 105, and the largest is the Town of Kapuskasing, home to 8,057.