How many Canadians voted in the federal election? What we know about the turnout

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. As of 12:45 p.m. ET Tuesday, Elections Canada reported that 19,217,709 registered electors — 67.37 per cent — had cast a ballot, whether in-person on Monday or during the four-day advance polling period on Easter weekend when a record-breaking 7.3 million-plus voted. However, the final figure doesn’t yet include those who registered on election day or the results of roughly 500 polls left to tally after Elections Canada paused counting of special ballots early Tuesday morning. 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. Tabulating resumed at 9:30 a.m ., and the agency’s results page is being regularly updated. This year’s sum has already surpassed the 62.6 per cent in 2021.

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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 75.9 per cent as of Tuesday morning, and Newfoundland and Labrador had the smallest turnout at 65.5 per cent. Average turnout in the rest of Canada was roughly 68 per cent. In Northern Canada, Yukon (71.9 per cent) followed P.E.I., the Northwest Territories landed at 53 per cent and only 35.3 per cent voted in Nunavut. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our newsletters here.