26-02-2025
Here's what early voter turnout looked like in Waterloo region, surrounding area
Early voting for the Ontario election closed Saturday and the voter turnout results are in.
Guelph, Waterloo region and other parts of CBC K-W's listening area saw more than 51,000 votes cast.
Elections Ontario data shows that just over six per cent of eligible Ontario voters cast an early ballot.
The local riding that saw the highest advanced turnout was Perth-Wellington with 9.5 per cent of eligible voters hitting the polls. Progressive Conservative incumbent Matthew Rae is looking to defend his seat against six other candidates in that riding.
The riding with the lowest turnout was Cambridge, with only about 4.6 per cent of eligible voters casting a ballot early. Incumbent Progressive Conservative candidate Brian Riddell is looking to keep his seat against five other candidates, including current and former municipal politicians.
See a breakdown of voter turnout in each riding below:
Andrea Perella is a researcher in political behaviour and participation at Wilfrid Laurier University. In an interview on CBC K-W's The Morning Edition, he said winter weather could have been a reason for low voter turnout.
"It's the winter, so I don't expect high turnout when it's snowy and cold," he said, adding that "it's hard to tell how advanced polling indicates ultimate bottom line turnout for the provinces."
According to Elections Ontario, 678,789 — or roughly 6.14 per cent of eligible voters — voted in the three-day advance voting period.
Perella said voters had more days to vote early in past elections, saying "2022 was 10 advanced days, that was like 104,000 people a day ... 2018 was five days and it was like 130,000 a day."
He said if voters are given more time, it's more likely they'll turn out to cast their ballot.
"Those people who always vote will vote no matter," said Perella. "But the rest of those who may or may not vote, or may not vote in every election, give them more time ... and more of them will take advantage."
