Turnout in federal election hits 68.5 per cent, largest since 1993 election

OTTAWA – Elections Canada says 68.5 per cent of eligible voters cast ballots in Monday’s federal election, the largest turnout of voters in more than 20 years.

Of the 25.6 million people registered to vote, close to 17.6 million turned up at polls across the country in an election that handed the Liberals led by Justin Trudeau a majority victory.

That kind of turnout hasn’t been seen since the 1993 election, a campaign that also resulted in a sweeping Liberal win under the stewardship of Jean Chretien.

The swell in numbers was partly due to the 3.6 million Canadians who cast ballots during the four-day advance polling period on the Thanksgiving long weekend — an increase of 71 per cent over the 2011 election, when only three days of advance polls were held.