{"id":18013,"date":"2025-02-24T15:02:50","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T15:02:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/24\/just-6-of-eligible-ontario-voters-cast-early-ballot-as-election-day-nears\/"},"modified":"2025-02-24T15:02:50","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T15:02:50","slug":"just-6-of-eligible-ontario-voters-cast-early-ballot-as-election-day-nears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/24\/just-6-of-eligible-ontario-voters-cast-early-ballot-as-election-day-nears\/","title":{"rendered":"Just 6% of eligible Ontario voters cast early ballot as election day nears"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Just six per cent of eligible voters in Ontario took advantage of advance voting in this year\u2019s general election<\/a>, preliminary data shows.<\/p>\n

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The figures, released by Elections Ontario on Monday morning, mark a change from previous provincial elections: in 2022, 1,066,545 eligible voters (9.92 per cent) voted over a period of 10 advance days, and in 2018, 698,609 voters (6.8 per cent) cast their ballot over five days of advance voting.<\/p>\n

Due to the snap election this year, 678,789 voters cast their ballot over three days (Feb. 20, 21 and 22) of advance voting \u2013 a turnout of 6.14 per cent.<\/p>\n

Elections Ontario estimates roughly 10.8 million people are eligible to vote in the election, which is scheduled to take place on Thursday. Voters can still cast their ballot at their local election office until Wednesday, and can vote until 9 p.m. at their assigned location on election day.<\/p>\n

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Voter turnout figures have been looming over the current election after just 44 per cent of registered voters turned out in June 2022 for the scheduled, summer election.<\/p>\n

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The last early election in Canada, which played out in Nova Scotia last fall, saw a new record low for voter turnout.<\/p>\n

Data from Elections Nova Scotia found roughly 45 per cent of people voted in the November snap poll on the East Coast, down 10 percentage points from 2021. The result was the first time turnout had dipped below 50 per cent in the Maritime province and its lowest-ever turnout.<\/p>\n

The timing of Nova Scotia\u2019s election appeared to play a part in the disengagement.<\/p>\n

\u201cTurnout was lower than it typically was, as far as voter enthusiasm. To me, it feels like the election wasn\u2019t really gripping people, I don\u2019t think there was really widespread anger over an early election call,\u201d Lori Turnbull, a professor with Dalhousie University\u2019s faculty of management, told Global News earlier this month.<\/a><\/p>\n