More Burlington residents voted in the 2026 municipal and school board election, which wrapped up Monday, Oct. 26, than in 2022 or 2018. Of 160,089 eligible voters, 56,863 cast ballots, a turnout of 35.5%, according to the City's unofficial results.
That is a rebound of 7.9 percentage points from the last election in 2022, when turnout was 27.6%. But it is not a record as a share of eligible voters: turnout was 39.79% in 2018.
The reason is a bigger voters list. The number of people eligible to vote grew from 142,218 in 2022 to this year's total, so more ballots add up to a smaller share than in 2018.
In raw numbers, this election stands out. This year's count is about 17,600 more than the 39,217 ballots cast in 2022, and about 5,800 more than the just over 51,000 cast in 2018. In 2014, turnout was about 34%.
Online voting was the most popular way to take part, the City's breakdown shows. Residents cast 26,444 votes online between Oct. 14 and 25, slightly more than the 25,422 cast at 24 voting locations on voting day. Advance voting locations on Oct. 17 and 20 drew another 4,997 votes.
Online voters also got extra time. The City extended online voting, which was set to end Friday, Oct. 23, to 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25.
The extension came after a mailing error meant 5,000 Voter Information Letters never reached households in Ward 6.
All the 2026 figures are still unofficial. The City Clerk declares the official results as soon as possible after voting day.
Full results are posted at myvoteburlington.ca/results.
