Toronto voter turnout: why it’s trending

Published October 26, 2026 at 11:16 p.m. · 10 sources · 200+ searches today

Toronto is trending because advance voting in the 2026 municipal election surged to 222,550 ballots over six days, with October 11 setting a record single-day total. As of October 26, 2026, people are watching to see whether that strong early participation translates into a higher final voter turnout.

Key facts

Oct. 6–11, 2026: 222,550 Torontonians voted in advance
Oct. 11 was busiest, with 53,363 advance votes cast
Advance voting was about 92% higher than in 2022
The city says this was Toronto’s highest advance turnout since amalgamation

What happened in Toronto

Toronto’s advance voting surged during the six-day period from October 6 to 11, 2026, with 222,550 eligible voters casting ballots. The City of Toronto said October 11 was the busiest day, with 53,363 votes, the highest single-day advance-voting total since amalgamation in 1998.

Daily advance totals were 36,743 on October 6, 31,018 on October 7, 28,666 on October 8, 33,579 on October 9, 39,181 on October 10 and 53,363 on October 11. The city described the result as its highest advance-voting turnout in more than a decade.

Why people are searching now

Canadians are searching “Toronto voter turnout” because the early numbers raised the question of whether overall turnout on election day would also be stronger than in recent municipal votes. That final turnout figure was not available in the cited reports.

The jump in early voting has also been discussed as part of a broader Canadian trend, with unusually high advance voting reported in recent municipal and provincial elections in Toronto, Quebec and Manitoba.

How big was the increase

Toronto’s advance-vote total was about 92% higher than in 2022, when 115,911 people voted early. It was also about 72% higher than the 2023 mayoral byelection, when roughly 129,745 people voted in advance.

The sources differ slightly on the total, giving 222,550 and 225,550. The lower figure from the City of Toronto release is the more consistent official number cited in the reports.

What to watch next

The key question is whether early voting changed when people voted or actually added more voters overall. Advance ballots are already part of the final turnout count, so a surge in early voting does not automatically mean total turnout will rise.

As of October 26, 2026, the main unknown is Toronto’s final municipal-election turnout. Winnipeg is also drawing attention, after a Grade 9 civics class at the University of Winnipeg Collegiate held a mock mayoral vote on October 26 ahead of Winnipeg’s election on October 28, 2026.

Frequently asked

How many people voted early in Toronto in 2026?

The City of Toronto reported 222,550 advance votes cast from October 6 to 11, 2026. Some reports cited 225,550, but the city figure is the more consistent official number.

Which day had the most advance votes in Toronto?

October 11, 2026 was the busiest advance-voting day, with 53,363 ballots cast. It was reported as the highest single-day advance total since amalgamation in 1998.

Is Toronto’s voter turnout definitely higher this year?

Not yet. The strong advance-voting numbers show that many people voted early, but those ballots are part of the final count, so they do not by themselves prove overall turnout will be higher.

How does 2026 compare with 2022 and the 2023 byelection?

Toronto’s 2026 advance voting was about 92% higher than 2022’s 115,911 early votes and about 72% higher than the 2023 mayoral byelection’s roughly 129,745 advance votes.

Sources

Researched automatically from live news and written by Simpledot's AI; facts are limited to what the sources above report as of the published time. Spot an error? Tell us.