More than 19.5 million Canadians voted in the recent federal election, breaking the record for total ballots cast. However, the election did not break the record for the highest proportion of eligible voters casting ballots, reaching only 68% compared to the 1958 federal election’s 79.4%.
Both major brokerage parties, Liberals and Conservatives, scored more than 40% of the vote nationally. In a normal election under the First Past the Post electoral system, one party securing a plurality of 40% of the national vote is usually enough to win a majority of seats. However, in an election as contentious as this one, neither party succeeded in gaining a majority of seats, with the Liberals being declared winners with yet another plurality of seats.