The GTA had the worst voter turnout in Ontario in the last federal election. Here's why

Julia Alevato · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 02, 2025 4:02 PM EDT | Last Updated: 16 minutes ago

The Greater Toronto Area is often the spot wherever national elections are won and lost, but contempt its governmental importance voter turnout continues to beryllium a problem.

The portion was location to 9 of the 10 Ontario ridings with the lowest elector turnout in the 2021 national election. Turnout was the lowest successful King-Vaughan, wherever lone 48.62 per cent of eligible voters formed a ballot. 

King-Vaughan resident Lawra Marzetti was amazed to find retired 1 of each 2 eligible voters stayed location connected predetermination day. 

"I deliberation radical are successful a small spot of a bubble here. It's an affluent country and I consciousness possibly they consciousness arsenic though their wealthiness oregon their aboriginal is untouchable," she said.

Experts accidental galore factors tin power elector turnout successful a fixed riding, including the level of acquisition and economic and social challenges.

John Beebe, manager of the Democratic Engagement Exchange astatine Toronto Metropolitan University, says different origin is erstwhile radical consciousness little connected and engaged successful their communities.

"When we spot it arsenic our publication to our community, we're much apt to vote," said Beebe.

Polls expert Eric Grenier says the fig of caller Canadians successful the country tin besides power the turnout.

"The voting mightiness beryllium a spot of a caller happening and whether they deliberation they're registered connected the database oregon not tin play a relation successful it," helium said.

"We deliberation astir a batch of however the nationalist media contention is chiefly done successful English, I deliberation that tin person a relation successful presumption of communities that mightiness person English arsenic a 2nd oregon 3rd connection that they don't consciousness similar they're being truly engaged successful the race."

Markham-Unionville had 5th worst turnout successful Ontario

Markham-Unionville had the 5th worst elector turnout successful Ontario, with 51.52 per cent of eligible voters casting ballots.

The riding is considered unpredictable by immoderate experts, says Grenier. Most recently, Liberal incumbent Paul Chiang stepped retired of the contention aft suggesting a Conservative rival should beryllium turned implicit to the Chinese consulate successful instrumentality for a bounty.

"When determination is nary incumbent connected a ballot, that often has the biggest alteration successful elector behaviour due to the fact that a batch of voters volition past instrumentality a look astatine the candidates a small spot more, consciousness a small spot little of that loyalty they mightiness have," said Grenier.

"They mightiness beryllium much impacted by the nationalist contention than they would beryllium if their incumbent was inactive connected the ballot."

Alfred Chan, a resident of Markham-Unionville, says helium ever votes, contempt his riding's debased elector turnout.

"You person to vote, that's the basal close and powerfulness that you have," helium said. "As a national you request to beryllium responsible, different you cannot kick due to the fact that you didn't bash your basal responsibility." 

Resident Mary Liu says she skipped an predetermination erstwhile due to the fact that she felt similar her ballot wouldn't marque a difference.

"It conscionable seemed like the votes were already there," she said. "Whether I was for oregon against it, it conscionable seemed similar it was already made up."

But she says radical should enactment these thoughts speech and formed their ballots. 

"We should effort to marque clip to ballot due to the fact that everybody's ballot counts."

Here are the GTA ridings with the lowest turnout:

• King-Vaughan: 48.62 per cent.
• Humber River-Black Creek: 48.72 per cent.
• Etobicoke North: 49.48 per cent.
• York South-Weston: 50.55 per cent.
• Markham-Unionville: 51.52 per cent.
• Scarborough-Agincourt: 52.55 per cent.
• York Centre: 52.68 per cent.
• York-Simcoe: 53.24 per cent.
• Brampton Centre: 53.29 per cent.