How many Canadians voted in the federal election? What we know about the turnout | Breaking News and Top Canadian Stories

How many Canadians voted in the federal election? What we know about the turnout — Voter turnout expected to rank among the biggest in decades when all is said and done You can save this article by registering for freehere. Orsign-in...

Voter turnout expected to rank among the biggest in decades when all is said and done

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Voter participation in the largely Trump-driven federal election was among the largest since the free-trade election of 1988, when Canada’s ties with the U.S. last took centre stage in a campaign.

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As of 9:04 p.m. ET Tuesday, Elections Canada reported that 19,597,674 registered electors — 68.7 per cent — had cast a ballot, whether in-person on Monday or during the four-day advance polling period on Easter weekend whena record-breaking 7,280,975 million-plus voted.The final figures don’t yet include those who registered on election day or the results of roughly special ballots at 54 polls.

Special ballots are cast by mail or in person at any election office if the person cannot or does not want to vote in advance or on election day.

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This year’s sum has already surpassed the 62.6 per cent in 2021 and is the highest since 1993, when 69.6 per cent of those eligible voted.

After spoiled ballots are removed, the Liberals have collected roughly 8.5 million votes to the Conservatives’ 8.1 million thus far.

Elections Canada reported Tuesday nightthat 11,062,539 ballots were cast on election day, 928,311 voted by special ballot from within their riding, and 215,057 used special ballots from outside, which included deployed military personnel, prisoners and people who were in Canada but outside their district. The agency also received 57,440 special ballots from Canadians living abroad.

Per Elections Canada, the last time more than 70 per cent of eligible voters took part in an election was in 1988, when 75.3 per cent exercised their right as incumbent prime minister Brian Mulroney and the Progressive Conservatives collected a second straight majority government.

The largest ever turnout was 79.4 per cent in 1958, the year Tory John Diefenbaker routed the Liberals and Lester B. Pearson. The lowest, 58.8 per cent, was in 2008 as Stephen Harper’s Conservatives collected a slightly stronger minority.

Provincially, Prince Edward Island had the most eligible voters at 78.4 per cent as of Tuesday evening, and Newfoundland and Labrador had the smallest turnout at 65.6 per cent. Average turnout in the rest of Canada was roughly 68 per cent.

In Northern Canada, Yukon (73.6 per cent) followed P.E.I., the Northwest Territories landed at 54.7 per cent and only 36.8 per cent voted in Nunavut.

At the riding level, in Carleton, where Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre lost to Liberal Bruce Fanjoy, turnout as of Tuesday afternoon was 81.6 per cent. In nearby Nepean, where Liberal Leader Mark Carney won handily, Elections Canada has a 77.5 per cent turnout before the results are made final.

“In the coming months, Elections Canada will finalize many of these estimated numbers and publish the Official Voting Results, along with other official reports,” the agency wrote.

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