Elections Canada estimates that over 19.5 million Canadians voted in the latest election and reported the highest turnout since 1993.
According to the federal election body, voter turnout this year also surpassed that of the 2015 election, which first brought former prime minister Justin Trudeau to power.
Elections Canada announced its preliminary estimates for voter turnout on Tuesday, reporting a significant increase in voter participation compared to previous federal elections.
Additionally, Elections Canada estimated that 19,583,016 ballots were cast in this election, with an estimated turnout of 68.65% of the over 28.5 million Canadians eligible to vote.
A common theme among voters interviewed by True North from across the political spectrum during the election was that this was the most consequential election of their lifetimes.
Many Canadians felt the number one ballot box issue was U.S. President Donald Trump and who was the best candidate to navigate the economic threats posed by the new U.S. administration.
According to Elections Canada, over 11 million Canadians showed up at their polling stations on election day, with 7.28 million showing up for advanced polling during the Easter and Passover weekend. The news release said that over 1.25 million electors voted via special ballot.
When compared to the last election in 2021, there was an estimated 6.45 per cent increase in eligible voters turning up to vote. In 2021, there were 27,366,297 registered voters, while only 17,209,811 ballots were cast, accounting for a 62.2 per cent voter turnout.
The 2021 election, however, took place in the heat of government lockdowns and a global pandemic, which likely contributed to lower voter turnout.
In the 2019 federal election, 67 per cent of the 27,373,028 registered voters came out to vote.
The most recent election garnered even more participation than the 2015 election, which saw Trudeau’s Liberals elected for the first time, when 68.5 per cent of the 25,939,742 registered voters turned out.
This means the 2025 election now holds the record for the highest voter turnout since 1993’s over 70 per cent participation rate, in the election where Jean Chretien was elected to form a majority Liberal government.
Historically, the 1958 election, which elected former Progressive Conservative prime minister John Diefenbaker, recorded the highest voter turnout, with 79.4% of the 8.9 million registered voters casting their votes.
Diefenbaker’s federal PC government also won a record-breaking 208 seats in a landslide majority, with a message of change.