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The 2022 general election had the lowest voter turnout in Ontario’s history, with about 43.5 per cent of eligible voters casting a ballot.

The 2011 provincial election also came in below the halfway mark at 48 per cent, but in general, Ontario elections over the past few decades have had turnout rates of just above 50 per cent. If we look further into , through the first half of the 20th century and right up to the 1970s, voter turnout rates of more than 60 and 70 per cent in Ontario general elections were quite common, and the 1919 election had a turnout rate of 89 per cent.

Advance voter turnout

This year’s advance voter turnout was relatively low. According to Elections Ontario, 6.14 per cent of Ontario’s 10.8 million eligible voters cast their ballots during the Feb. 20-22 advance voting period. In 2022, 9.92 of eligible voters cast their ballots at advance polls.

However, there were only three advance voting days this year compared to 10 in 2022.

Why don’t people vote?

So, we wonder, why don’t people vote?

We’ve created this reader question, which is intended for people who seldom or never vote, to ask why they don’t vote.

The available responses are based on some of the reasons reported by Statistics Canada for reasons people have given for not voting.

Disclaimer: Reader survey results are not scientific. As the informal findings of a survey presented to the readers of this site, they reflect the opinions of those who have chosen to participate. The survey is available online to anyone interested in taking it. This poll does not restrict the number of votes each person can cast.