Durham municipalities hope Oct. 26 vote reverses 2022's record-low turnout

Data from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario shows Ontario's 2022 municipal elections drew a record-low 32.9% of eligible voters, with Durham Region results ranging from 18.34% in Scugog to 39.67% in Uxbridge.

By Daily Durham News

Oct 14, 2026, 6:52 p.m. ET1 min read

A hand dropping a ballot into a sealed yellow ballot box; no faces visible. — File photo: a ballot being cast (illustrative photo from a 2024 election in Sweden). (Photo: W.carter, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0) · Credit: W.carter, Wikimedia Commons

With the 2026 municipal election set for October 26, new figures from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) show just how far turnout fell in the last round: only 32.9% of eligible Ontario voters cast a ballot in the 2022 municipal elections, a record low. The typical turnout is around 40%, with the 2018 Ontario average at 38.3%.

Durham Region's numbers were mixed. Oshawa saw 18.42% turnout, down from 24.26% in 2018. Ajax drew 22.48%, Whitby 23.26%, Pickering 27.34% and Clarington 28.25%. The region's northern townships did better: Uxbridge led at 39.67% and Brock at 38.61%, while Scugog had the region's lowest turnout at 18.34%.

AMO remains hopeful the 2022 drop was linked to the pandemic and that turnout can recover this time. The association's data also shows that of the 2,842 elected positions filled in 2022, about 6,325 candidates ran; 31% of candidates were women, up from 27% in 2018, and more than 80% of incumbents who sought re-election won.

Eligible voters across Durham Region head to the polls on Monday, October 26, 2026. Several municipalities are offering online voting in the days leading up to election day.

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