Voter turnout was relatively average in Monday night’s federal election, with nearly 66 per cent of eligible electors heading to the polls across Canada.
Just under 18 million of the 27 million registered voters cast their ballots, according to Elections Canada. A record-breaking 4.7 million of those votes were cast during advance polling over Thanksgiving long weekend.
In the previous federal election in 2015, 68.5 per cent of eligible electors took part – the highest turnout in at least two decades.
The country also saw a record number of expatriates vote – roughly 31,800 of the 55,500 who were registered. In September, the federal government reversed a previous decision to grant expats who had been out of the country for five years or longer the right to vote.
Elections Canada said the 2019 overall turnout will likely increase as they count the number of voters who registered on Election Day.
Higher turnout often points to more engagement in political issues among a country’s citizens. This election, some of the key issues included affordability, climate change and health care.
