Voter turnout inches up to 61.4%

Canada's voter turnout rate inched up to 61.4 per cent, according to Elections Canada's preliminary estimates.

There were 14.7 million Canadians who elected a Conservative majority government on Monday night, pushing the preliminary voter turnout to 61.4 per cent up from 59.1 per cent in 2008.

Prince Edward Island had the highest voter turnout in the country as 74 per cent of registered voters cast ballots.

Meanwhile, only 48.5 per cent of Nunavut voters marked ballots in the election.

Canada's two largest provinces also saw their voter turnout rates rise from 2008 levels.

In Ontario, 62.2 per cent of registered voters showed up to vote in Monday's election. The Conservatives saw their hold on the province increase as the party won 77 of 106 seats. In 2008, the province's voter turnout level was 59.1 per cent.

Meanwhile, in Quebec, which saw the NDP win 58 of 75 seats, the preliminary voter turnout level is 62.2 per cent. Quebec's voter turnout rate was up from the 61.1 per cent in 2008.

All the figures were based on reports from 71,486 of 71,513 polls across Canada. The total number of registered electors did not, however, include anyone who only registered on election day itself.

The highest voter turnout in Canadian electoral history occurred in 1958, when 79.4 per cent of registered voters took part in the election that saw John Diefenbaker return to power with a majority government.