What you need to know on election day in Windsor-Essex, Chatham-Kent and Sarnia-Lambton
Voters are heading to the polls across Ontario today following a rare winter election campaign.
The 28-day campaign saw two party leaders — Progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford and NDP leader Marit Stiles — make multiple stops in Windsor-Essex to court voters.
Ford says the snap election was necessary because he needs a "clear mandate" from Ontarians in wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threats.
The PC leader is looking secure a third straight majority government for his party, and he's also been clear that the PCs have set their sights on the area's only NDP-held riding, Windsor West.
Here's a look at what you need to know on election day.
Who's running in the local ridings?
Prior to the election call, six of the ridings in the Windsor-Essex, Chatham-Kent and Sarnia-Lambton areas were held by Conservative candidates and one, Windsor West, was held by the NDP.
In the lead up to the vote, CBC Windsor spoke with as many candidates as possible in our coverage area to learn who they are and what priorities they want to bring to Queen's Park if elected.
Click on the links to learn more about the candidates in these ridings:
Chatham-Kent–Leamington.
Essex.
Sarnia–Lambton.
Windsor–Tecumseh.
Windsor West.
What are the major parties promising?
If you want to know how the Ontario PCs, NDP, Liberal and Greens compare on the issues that matter to you in this campaign, check out our platform tracker.
How do I vote?
All Canadian citizens 18 and up who are residents of Ontario are eligible to vote.
Polls are open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 28. You can look up where to vote on the Elections Ontario website.
Didn't receive a voter information card in the mail? You can still vote. Not sure what identification you need to bring? Elections Ontario's website explains what's required.
How can I watch the results?
CBC will have special coverage of the election on TV, radio, online and streaming platforms.
The countdown to results begins at 8 p.m. ET on CBC TV and CBC News Network and we'll start bringing you results as soon as polls close at 9 p.m.
You can also watch the special on CBC Gem, YouTube, CBC.ca or through local CBC channels — including CBC Windsor's — on your Roku or Samsung TV Plus.
Dwight Drummond will host our TV special: Ontario Votes 2025. The show will feature analysis from our Senior Queen's Park Reporter Mike Crawley and CBC's Chief Political Correspondent Rosemary Barton, alongside other experts. A version of the broadcast with American Sign Language interpretation is available.
Ontario Votes 2025: Join our special broadcast for live results and analysis
Live in
14 hours
Ontarians have cast their ballots on Thursday, Feb. 27 and now it's time to see who will form the next government at Queen's Park. We'll bring you all of the results plus analysis from our CBC News team from 9 to 11 p.m. ET.
CBC Radio's Jill Dempsey and Queen's Park Reporter Shawn Jeffords will host a live provincewide radio special beginning at 9 p.m. ET, bringing you the results, reaction and expert analysis you need.
We'll also have an interactive results map so you can keep tabs on the races in all 124 ridings. Find that here.
How is voter turnout so far?
Across Ontario, about 6 per cent of those eligible cast a ballot in advance polls. Here's a look at turnout in our local ridings:
Chatham-Kent–Leamington - 3,792 voters or 7.1 per cent of eligible voters.
Essex - 9,477 voters or 8.7 per cent of eligible voters.
Lambton–Kent–Middlesex - 4,898 voters, or 5.3 per cent of eligible voters.
Sarnia–Lambton - 5,806 voters, or 6.6 per cent of eligible voters.
Windsor–Tecumseh - 3,792 voters, or 3.9 per cent of eligible voters.
Windsor West - 3,289 voters, or 3.4 per cent of eligible voters.
The relatively high turnout in Essex matches trends in the riding in previous general elections.
In the 2022 provincial election, there was 47 per cent turnout in Essex, compared to 40 per cent in Windsor–Tecumseh and 33 per cent in Windsor West, 42 per cent in Chatham-Kent–Leamington.
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