Research on Electoral Participation
Barriers to Voting
To address barriers to voting, Elections Canada looks at post-election surveys we conducted, as well as research on participation and democratic engagement. We also have ongoing consultations and relationships with various stakeholder groups.
This section presents results from the 2019 National Electors Study, which had the aim of providing a better understanding of the barriers that some groups of electors may face when voting in federal elections.
- Indigenous Electors
- People with Disabilities
- First-Time Electors – New Canadians
- First-Time Electors – Youth
Results from a supplement to Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey that was commissioned by Elections Canada, from a study of on-reserve voter turnout, and from the voter turnout by age and gender study are also considered where applicable.
The results show that these groups of electors still face significant barriers to voting in federal elections.
For more information on what Elections Canada is doing to address barriers to voting, go to our Voters page.
Go to Inspire Democracy to learn more about how Elections Canada and our network of stakeholder organizations are working together to address some of the barriers to getting involved in elections.
Further studies on electoral participation
Here are links to studies on the electoral participation of various groups.
General
- Elector Personas, 2022
- The Burden of Voting in the 2019 Canadian Federal Election
- Post-election evaluations: includes Elections Canada surveys of electors following federal general elections (2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2015, 2019), results from the Labour Force Survey on turnout and reasons for not voting (2011, 2015, 2019), and voter turnout by age and gender (2004, 2008, 2011, 2015, 2019)
- New Survey Results on Canadians' Electoral Participation: includes links to results from the Labour Force Survey on reasons for voting and not voting, 2012
- Voter Turnout at Federal Elections and Referendums (1867-2019), Elections Canada, 2019
Indigenous electors
- Elector Services in Remote Indigenous Communities (ESRIC) – 43rd General Election, Elections Canada, 2020
- Facilitating First Nations Voter Participation for the 43rd Federal General Election, Assembly of First Nations, 2020
- On-Reserve Voter Turnout – 42nd General Election, Elections Canada, 2015
- Voting at Select Campuses, Friendship Centres and Community Centres, 42nd General Election, Elections Canada, 2016
- Voting at Select Campuses, Friendship Centres and Community Centres, 42nd General Election, Elections Canada, 2016
- Facilitating First Nation Voter Participation for the 42nd Federal General Election, Assembly of First Nations, 2016
- Federal Voter Turnout in First Nations Reserves (2004–2011), Elections Canada, 2012
- Aboriginal Electoral Participation in Canada, Elections Canada, 2011
- 2009 Aboriginal Policy Research Conference, Elections Canada, 2009
- The Electoral Participation of Aboriginal People, Elections Canada, 2007
- Aboriginal Participation in Federal Elections talking circle held in Vancouver, British Columbia, 2006
- Roundtable on Aboriginal Youth and the Federal Electoral Process held at Carleton University, 2004
- Aboriginal People and the Federal Electoral Process: Participation Trends and Elections Canada's Initiatives research report, Elections Canada, 2004
Elections Canada published Electoral Insight magazine from 1999 to 2006 as a forum for discussion about the electoral process and related matters.
- Compilation of Electoral Insight: Aboriginal and Youth Participation in Federal Elections, 2005
- Special issue of Electoral Insight: Aboriginal Participation in Elections, November 2003
- Leonard Marchand: The First Status Indian Elected to Canada's Parliament, June 2000
Electors with disabilities
- Electoral Participation of Electors with Disabilities: Canadian Practices in a Comparative Context, Elections Canada, 2012
- The Electoral Participation of Persons with Special Needs, Elections Canada, 2007
Elections Canada published Electoral Insight magazine from 1999 to 2006 as a forum for discussion about the electoral process and related matters.
Senior electors
- Political Participation Among Seniors, Elections Canada, 2013
- Canadian Seniors: A Demographic Profile, Elections Canada, 2012
First-time voters – youth electors
- Generation Z: Portrait of a New Generation of Young Canadians and How They Compare to Older Canadians, Elections Canada, 2021
- 2015 National Youth Survey, Elections Canada, 2016
- New Analysis of the 2015 National Youth Survey, Elections Canada, 2016
- Voting at Select Campuses, Friendship Centres and Community Centres, 42nd General Election, Elections Canada, 2016
- Generational Change: Looking at Declining Youth Voter Turnout over Time, 2013
- Youth Electoral Engagement in Canada, 2011
- 2011 National Youth Survey, Elections Canada, 2011
- The Electoral Participation of Young Canadians, 2007
Elections Canada published Electoral Insight magazine from 1999 to 2006 as a forum for discussion about the electoral process and related matters.
- Missing the Message: Young Adults and the Election Issues, January 2005
- Different Strokes: Why Young Canadians Don't Vote, January 2005
- Turned Off or Tuned Out? Youth Participation in Politics, July 2003
- Youth in the Electoral Process, January 2001
Visit Elections Canada'sInspire Democracy website for other research and tools on youth participation.
First-time voters – new Canadians
- The Electoral Participation of Ethnocultural Communities, Elections Canada, 2007
Elections Canada published Electoral Insight magazine from 1999 to 2006 as a forum for discussion about the electoral process and related matters: