Advance voting begins Thursday

How can you skip the lines on voting day and cast a ballot in the provincial election early? CTV’s Jeff Pickel walks us through the process.

Voters who have already made up their mind can cast a ballot in the provincial election starting Thursday.

Advance voting is available on Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. at advance polling stations across the province.

“Our job is to make it as easy as possible, so we provide all these avenues for Ontarians across the province,” said Gregg Flood with Election Ontario.

Residents can also apply to vote by mail, but time is quickly running out.

“The deadline for that is Feb. 21 to request the kit, and then we have to have that kit back by Feb. 27 at 6 p.m. in order to make sure that your ballot is counted as part of the elections process,” said Flood.

Rising in popularity

Early voting has become more popular in recent elections.

In 2022 over 1 million eligible voters in Ontario cast their ballot early, representing nearly 10 per cent of eligible voters.

That is an increase of over 300,000 people who voted early in 2018. However the numbers in 2022 were likely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Elections Ontario suggests pre-registering to vote ahead of time, but residents can register to vote at a polling station as long as they have two pieces of identification.

Election day is Feb. 27.