ontario election 2025: what you need to know about voting in the provincial election
the pc's currently have 79 members in the provincial legislature, followed by the ndp at 28 and the liberals at nine. there are six independents and two green party members.
5 minute read
early voting at the canterbury recreation complex in ottawa thursday.
tony caldwell
/
postmedia
the provincial election is winding down, with voting day set for feb. 27. early polls have opened from feb. 20 to 22 across the province.
we’ve compiled everything you need to know about when to vote, where to vote, how to vote, and who you can vote for.
how the election started
after several weeks of hints, allegations and things left unsaid, ontario pc leader doug ford finally made it official jan. 28, kick-starting the official process for a feb. 27 election.
for those into ceremony, ford asked lt.-gov. edith dumont to agree to the election call. that set off the writs of election, the formal documents governing ontario’s 124 ridings.
elections ontario is the unaffiliated board that oversees all elements of the campaign. greg essensa has served as chief electoral officer since 2008.
while the official news arrived in late january, the parties have been running campaign-like tv and radio ads for months, trumpeting themselves and bad-mouthing their rivals.
early voting at the canterbury recreation complex in ottawa thursday.
tony caldwell
/
postmedia
why call an election now?
after winning a majority in the previous election june 2, 2022, ford and the ruling progressive conservatives weren’t required to return to the polls until 2026. ford, however, says he needs a new mandate — “a strong, stable, four-year mandate” — to outlive the risks posed by u.s. president donald trump and his threat to impose 25-per-cent tariffs on all canadian goods.
advertisement
to maintain a majority, the conservatives need to win at least 63 seats.
liberal leader bonnie crombie, ndp leader marit stiles and green leader mike schreiner have all said an election now is an unnecessary waste of money.
on wednesday, essensa said the election would cost approximately $189 million.
a voting guide will be mailed to every household in the province between feb. 6-12.
someone on his way to vote early at the canterbury recreation complex in ottawa thursday.
tony caldwell
/
postmedia
what happened in the 2022 election?
the pc’s won a resounding 83 of 124 seats, with a popular vote of 40.8 per cent. the ndp claimed 31 seats and 23.7 per cent of the voting share. interestingly, while the liberals claimed a higher popular vote than the ndp (23.8 per cent), they won only eight seats.
that election hardly excited the masses. the biggest disappointment of all was the fact that only 44.06 per cent of eligible voters cast ballots — the lowest turnout in ontario election history. in 2018, when ford won his first ontario election, 57 per cent of eligible voters cast ballots.
the vote count will be intriguing, considering that the federal liberals are currently undergoing their own leadership campaign, which will then be followed be a national election.
people voting early at the canterbury recreation complex in ottawa thursday.
tony caldwell
/
postmedia
what are the numbers in the ontario legislature now?
advertisement
the pc’s currently have 79 members in the provincial parliament, followed by the ndp at 28 and the liberals at nine. there are six independents and two green party members.
when did the opposition parties change their leaders?
the huge pc victory in 2022 spurred changes in the opposition ranks. stephen del duca, who headed the liberals in that election, has since been replaced by crombie, a former mississauga mayor who won the leadership in december 2023. marit stiles took over as ndp leader in february 2023, succeeding andrea horwath, who headed the party during the 2022 election.
what are the ridings in the ottawa area and who currently holds the seats?
the voting districts include:
- ottawa-vanier (lucille collard, liberal),
- ottawa west-nepean (chandra pasma, ndp),
- ottawa south (john fraser, liberal),
- ottawa centre (joel harden, ndp),
- nepean (lisa macleod, pc),
- orléans (stephen blais, liberal),
- carleton (goldie ghamari, independent),
- kanata-carleton (karen mccrimmon, liberal),
- glengarry-prescott-russell (stéphane sarrazin, pc),
- lanark-frontenac-kingston (john jordan, pc)
- renfrew-nipissing-pembroke (john yakabuski, pc).
in september, macleod announced via social media that she would not be seeking re-election. ghamari made a similar announcement on friday. yakabuski, who has served for more than 20 years, is also not running again. harden has been nominated as the federal candidate for the ndp in ottawa centre and will not be running for re-election provincially.
advertisement
who is eligible to vote?
everyone who is 18 years old, lives in ontario and holds canadian citizenship. most eligible voters will receive voter information cards (vic) in the mail. they are expected to arrive in mailboxes between feb. 17-22. the vic includes details about what district to vote in and the site of the local election office. in order to vote, one piece of valid id is necessary. the elections ontario website, www.elections.on.ca, includes information of what id is acceptable and how to update change of address and other information.
how do i find out where my riding is?
to find your electoral district, enter your postal code in the elections ontario voter information service online tool. this handy tool will show you your electoral district name, electoral district number, who the current mpp is, plus maps and more general information.
can you vote without a voter information card?
yes, providing you have proof of residence and have valid id and show that information to election officials on voting day.
can you vote by mail?
yes, but in order to accomplish this, you must submit a vote-by-mail application before feb. 21 — available online — and provide id with home address information.
advertisement
but no, you can’t vote online.
how soon can someone vote in advance?
early voting is open from feb. 20 to feb. 22 across the province. several locations in local ridings have opened in schools, community centres and other locations across ottawa. to find where you can vote, enter your postal code in this elections ontario online tool. if you prefer, you can also search by riding name here.
residents are eligible to vote in advance at the local election office in their riding until 6 p.m. on feb. 26. to do so, voters must present id and fill out special ballot applications at local election offices. voters can also go to the advance polling station in their riding between feb. 20-22.
a person leaves the canterbury recreation complex after casting her vote early.
tony caldwell
/
postmedia
what about students attending school away from home?
ontario students can choose to vote in either their original home riding or in the district where they attend university or college. again, proof of address and id is necessary. however, on-campus voting is only open to those who live on-campus.
students from ontario who are studying outside the province can mail in their votes. they must, however, fill out a register of absentee voter form to receive voting kits.
that same register of absentee voter form applies to any ontario resident who is working out of the province during the election.
advertisement
is it possible to vote at home?
yes, in rare circumstances involving medical necessities. voters must contact local election offices to explain the circumstances. if approved, two election officials will bring a voting kit to your home.
what if someone wants to officially decline their ballot?
this is different from the 56 per cent of eligible voters in 2022 who chose not to get involved in the election. a formal effort to decline a ballot is a legitimate option. a voter must tell an election official of their intentions and the official will write “declined” on the back of the ballot. declined ballots are placed in a separate box and are counted on election night.
keep abreast of all the latest news leading up to feb. 27, election day in ontario, and see who’s running in local ridings, with our race for ontario newsletter.
share story
