• A record 7.3 million Canadians cast ballots in advance voting, up 25% from 2021.
  • Ontario saw 2.79 million advance voters, a significant rise from 2.23 million in the last election.
  • Markham–Stouffville recorded a 27% early turnout while York–Durham reached 31%.
  • More than 1 million voters used special ballots, including mail-in and early voting at Elections Canada offices.
  • Early voting ran from April 18–21, with stations open 12 hours daily.
  • Elections Canada reminds voters they can still register in person on election day.

 

With just days remaining before Canadians head to the polls, early signs point to a nation highly engaged in the 2025 federal election.

A record-breaking 7.3 million citizens voted during the four-day advance polling period held over the Easter weekend, marking a 25 percent increase over the 5.8 million who voted early in 2021.

Ontario followed the national trend closely, with 2,792,881 voters participating in advance polls—up from 2,229,342 in 2021. The advance voting period ran from Friday, April 18, through Monday, April 21, with polling stations open 12 hours daily.

Special ballots, including mail-in voting and early ballots cast at local Elections Canada offices, also saw strong engagement. As of April 24, more than 1 million voters returned their ballots out of the 1,255,825 voting kits issued..

Local ridings reported notable early turnout. In Markham–Stouffville, 24,263 voters—about 27 percent of the roughly 88,230 registered electors—cast ballots in advance. In the York–Durham riding, which includes parts of four former federal districts, turnout was even higher: 30,908 voters, about 31 percent of an estimated 99,505 electors, voted over the long weekend.

These figures suggest the potential for strong overall turnout this year, potentially surpassing the 62.6 percent national participation rate recorded in 2021. Ontario’s turnout that year was slightly lower, at 61.4 percent.

While this year’s ridings have shifted, past voter data offers some comparison. Markham–Stouffville’s turnout in 2021 matched the provincial average at 61 percent. The newly drawn York–Durham riding encompasses areas from several former ridings, where 2021 participation ranged from 54 to 66 percent.

Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock led that year with 66 percent, while York–Simcoe had the lowest at 54 percent. Durham and Pickering–Uxbridge recorded turnouts of 61 and 62 percent, respectively.

Elections Canada reminds voters that it is not too late to register. Those who have not yet done so can register at their polling station on election day or use the Online Voter Registration Service to generate a registration certificate to print and bring along.

To locate your local polling station, visit the Elections Canada website.

*Cover image courtesy of Elections Canada