Toronto’s byelection voter turnout improves over 2022 mayoral election

Toronto’s voter turnout in Monday’s byelection improved over the 2022 mayoral election, with over 720,000 ballots cast.

Olivia Chow was elected the city’s new mayor, receiving just over 37 per cent of the vote. Former city councillor and deputy mayor Ana Bailão finished second, with 32 per cent, followed by former police chief Mark Saunders (8.5 per cent) and Anthony Furey (4.9 per cent). A record 102 mayoral candidates lined up to replace John Tory.

With more than 1.89 million eligible voters in Toronto, Monday’s byelection — prompted by Tory’s sudden resignation in February — counted just over 722,000 votes cast as of publication, good for 38 per cent in terms of voter turnout.

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That’s compared to a dismal turnout in 2022 when Tory was re-elected in a landslide over Gil Penalosa. Roughly 550,000 votes were counted then (a 29 per cent voter turnout).

The City of Toronto said nearly 130,000 residents attended 50 advance voting locations between June 8 and June 13. That was up from almost 116,000 voters during eight days of advance voting in October.

Toronto’s all-time highest voter turnout was in 2014, when 60 per cent of eligible voters cast their ballots. That election saw several high-profile candidates square off, including former mayor Rob Ford, who eventually dropped out due to his cancer diagnosis.

Tory would eventually beat Doug Ford, who placed second, and Chow, who placed third that year.

In 2018, voter turnout fell to 41 per cent after city council commissioned a review of its ward boundaries to account for predicted population growth in some regions of the city. Tory was re-elected, receiving over 400,000 votes compared to Jennifer Keesmaat, who secured just over 178,000.

With files from The Canadian Press