Nationwide spike in advance voting sparks hope that P.E.I. turnout is on the rise

A whopping 7.3 million Canadians stood in line to cast federal ballots over the long weekend, according to Elections Canada, marking a rise of 25 per cent compared to the 2021 general election. 

Among those waiting were Prince Edward Islanders, some of whom waited in lines for more than an hour to cast their ballots. 

That has prompted some hope that voter turnout is increasing in P.E.I. after a long decline. 

"This is an indication that the public is very engaged and they are very concerned about the outcome," said Don Desserud, a political scientist based at the University of Prince Edward Island. 

Françoise Enguehard of Elections Canada echoes Desserud's sentiments. 

"At Elections Canada, what we want to do is make sure that people have the opportunity to vote, have the information they need to vote," said Enguehard, the media relations advisor for the Atlantic region for Canada's independent federal voting agency. 

"And so it's wonderful to see that people were so engaged that they stood in line and sometimes with long lines to exercise that right to vote."

The exact numbers for the advance polls in each province will be calculated and released later in the week. 

Based on previous turnout numbers, P.E.I. boasted the highest number of voters casting ballots in 2021, compared to all the other provinces. Desserud says the entire country has seen a general decrease in voter turnout, though. 

"It's a bit of a change because voting turnout has been dropping overall in Canada. Even here in Prince Edward Island provincial elections, when we notoriously have the highest turnout in the country, our voting turnout has dropped down," he said. 

"That indicated to me that there is a bit of a cynicism now, or maybe more than a bit of cynicism amongst the voting public about the state of our electoral process." 

Desserud believes the rise in voter turnout in 2025 can be attributed to the new tension between Canada and the United States. 

"The fact that our voting turnout is back up again has to do with the fact that the stakes in this election are so high. Everyone knows what this election is really about: It's about Canadian-American relations and who is best to lead our country through this situation." 

After the record turnout this past weekend, Enguehard said Elections Canada wants to make the process easier on election day next Monday for all voters, including those in the Atlantic region.