Ottawa’s Carleton riding, home to Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, recorded the highest voter turnout in Canada during advance polls, according to preliminary data released by Elections Canada. Over the four days of advance voting held across the Easter weekend, 43,394 people cast their ballots in Carleton, a riding now known for having one of the longest ballots in Canadian history.
This unusual surge in participation is attributed in part to a protest campaign by the Longest Ballot Committee, an electoral reform group that fielded 85 candidates in the riding—all of whom share the same official agent, Tomas Szuchewycz. With 91 candidates total, the ballot has drawn national attention for highlighting the group’s opposition to Canada’s first-past-the-post voting system. On its Bluesky account, the committee says it aims to break records while criticizing the role politicians play in shaping ethics and electoral rules.
Among the more traditional contenders in Carleton are Poilievre, who has represented the riding since 2004, Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy, and NDP candidate Beth Prokaska.
The record-setting turnout in Carleton contributed to a nationwide surge in early voting. Elections Canada estimates that 7.28 million Canadians voted during advance polls between April 18 and 21, far surpassing the previous record of 5.8 million set in the 2021 federal election.
Across Ottawa, several ridings also saw significant turnout. Nepean logged 32,689 advance votes, Ottawa Centre recorded 32,604, and Kanata followed with 28,891. Other Ottawa-area ridings such as Orleans, Ottawa South, Ottawa-Vanier-Gloucester, and Ottawa West-Nepean saw turnout numbers ranging from approximately 22,000 to 28,000.
Voting day is set for Monday, April 28, with polling stations across Ottawa open from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. In 2021, 17.2 million Canadians voted in the federal election, resulting in a turnout rate of 62.6 per cent—a slight drop from the 67 per cent recorded in 2019.