Roughly six per cent of eligible Ontario voters cast their ballots in the three days of advance voting in the province’s snap election, according to Elections Ontario.
On Monday, the non-partisan office said its preliminary figures revealed 678,789 voters went to polling stations from Thursday to Saturday, representing 6.14 per cent of eligible voters and marking a “change” from previous elections.
In the last provincial election in 2022, 1,066,545 Ontarians – representing just shy of 10 per cent (9.92 per cent) – executed their right to vote ahead of Election Day. Comparatively, that means advance voter turnout in this election is down by more than a third. That said, advance voting lasted 10 days in the previous election, compared to just three days this time.
This previous election reflected the lowest recorded voter turnout in the province’s election history, with roughly 44 per cent of 10.7 million eligible Ontarians casting their ballots in the election that led to Doug Ford’s sweeping victory for the Progressive Conservatives.
In the 2018 election, 698,609 voters turned up at advance polls over five days.
But overall, 2018 had more people going to the polls versus 2022, with nearly 57 per cent voter turnout.
“Thank you to all voters who participated in advance voting and to the dedicated staff who worked to keep the voting process in Ontario safe, efficient, and secure. If you haven’t cast your ballot yet, there’s still time — visit your local election office or vote on Election Day,” Greg Essensa, chief electoral officer of Ontario, said in a release.
While Election Day is on Feb. 27, with polls open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Ontarians can still vote early by going to local election offices from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Feb. 26. Additionally, Elections Ontario must receive mail-in ballots by 6 p.m. on Election Day for the vote to be counted.
