Voter turnout up

Last Updated: Tuesday, January 24, 2006 | 12:57 AM ET

CBC News

More Canadian voters went to the ballot box Monday compared to the record low numbers seen in the June 2004 federal election.

With nearly all polls accounted for early Tuesday, 64.9 per cent of eligible voters had cast ballots. The 2004 election saw a record low turnout of 60.9 per cent, the worst showing since 1898.

While many people had predicted that an election held over the Christmas holidays would cause numbers to drop even further this time, the unusually mild weather throughout most of Canada may have had something to do with the higher turnout.

A man casts his vote at the cardboard voting booths in Old Montreal on election day, Monday, Jan. 23, 2006. (CP photo)

So too might Elections Canada's marketing and public information campaign, reminding voters this was their chance to be heard.

Elections Canada officials worked particularly hard to attract young voters. Only about 38 per cent of eligible voters between the ages of 18 and 24 cast ballots in 2004.

Still, even that was a big improvement from 2000, when only one in four eligible youths voted.