The 44th federal election took place on September 20, 2021 and Elections Canada has released the numbers.
Elections Canada’s preliminary estimates indicate that 17,209,000 Canadians cast a ballot. This translates into a voter turnout rate of about 62.5%. Exact voter turnout numbers will be published in the Official Voting Results report.
- Approximately:
- 10,246,000 voted at their polling station on election day or in their long-term care facility
- 5,895,000 voted at advance polls between Friday, September 10, and Monday, September 13
- 883,000 voted by special ballot from within their electoral district
- 158,000 voted by special ballot from outside their electoral district (includes deployed military personnel, inmates and electors who were in Canada but outside their electoral district)
- 27,000 electors living outside Canada voted by special ballot
- To serve Canadians, Elections Canada opened 501 offices, hired around 215,000 people and offered 7,300 advance and 61,400 election day voting desks in 338 electoral districts.
- 22 registered parties were represented and 2,010 candidates were confirmed.
“I want to thank electors for their participation and patience during the election as we implemented safety measures. I know that this voting experience was different for many Canadians, and in some cases more difficult,” says Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault. “I also want to take the opportunity to thank the returning officers and all of the election workers who worked tirelessly to deliver what was truly an unprecedented election in these challenging times.”
Elections Canada is an independent, non-partisan agency that reports directly to Parliament.