NewsPoliticsCanada

Record 7.3 million Canadians voted in federal election's advance voting

Kenneth Chan
Kenneth Chan
|
Apr 22 2025, 7:07 pm
Record 7.3 million Canadians voted in federal election's advance voting
Long lineup for the federal election's advance voting at a Quebec voting station on April 18, 2025. (Pascal Huot/Shutterstock)

Canadians turned out en masse for advance voting in the 2025 federal election, according to Elections Canada’s preliminary estimates.

Advance turnout was held over a four-day period, from Friday, April 18, to Monday, April 21, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day.

Figures released today show a total of 7.3 million votes were cast during this advance voting period, including two million on the first day.

This total represents a staggering 25 per cent increase from the 5.8 million ballots during the advance voting period of the 2021 federal election.

Elections Canada notes that some polls may not have reported their turnout yet, and a more detailed breakdown of the estimated number of votes for all electoral districts will be made available soon.

Long lines were also reported at some advance voting stations, with some taking their frustrations to social media about waits of over an hour.

Elections Canada previously told Daily Hive Urbanized that more Canadians have been using earlier voting opportunities in recent federal elections. In 2019, 27 per cent of voters chose to vote at advanced polls, while in 2021, 34 per cent cast their votes ahead of the main voting day.

It should also be noted that the 2021 federal election was impacted by the pandemic, with Elections Canada significantly expanding the ease of mail-in-ballot voting opportunities.

According to political analysts, a high turnout in advance voting in an election is not inherently bad for incumbents — but it can be, depending on the context.

In the 2021 federal election, 17.03 million votes were cast, representing a turnout of 62.2 per cent of registered voters.

The main voting day for the general federal election is scheduled for Monday, April 28, 2025. The opening and closing times for voting stations vary across Canada’s regions.

ADVERTISEMENT