The longest ballot in Canadian election history is in this riding

Voters in an Ontario riding have one of the longest ballots in Canadian election history.

Voters in Carleton — which is where Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is seeking reelection — have 91 candidates to choose from.

Elections Canada says that it matches the record for the longest ballot ever in a federal election.

In 2024, a byelection in LaSalle–Émard–Verdun also had 91 candidates, Elections Canada says.

The extra-long ballot is a result of efforts from a group called the Longest Ballot Committee.

The group convinced dozens of candidates to register to run as Independents in Poilievre’s riding, in addition to the usual main party candidates.

The protest group opposes the first-past-the-post voting system and is seeking to build support for electoral reform.

“This ballot will be larger than usual and have two columns of candidate names,” Elections Canada says.

“The names will be listed alphabetically, from the top to the bottom of the left column and continuing down the right column. As always, electors should vote for only one candidate by marking the circle next to their chosen candidate’s name.”

Elections Canada said that poll workers will be trained in a new method of folding the ballot to maintain the secrecy of the vote.

The agency said there could be “a small increase in service times” as a result of the longer ballot and results might take longer than usual to report.

The Longest Ballot Committee has fielded long lists of candidates in prominent federal byelections in recent years, inflating the physical size of ballots and delaying the counts.

A representative from the protest group pledged to field candidates against Liberal incumbent Chrystia Freeland in her University—Rosedale riding in Toronto — a threat that has not materialized.

— With files from The Canadian Press

Elections Canada has published a sample of the ballot “as an exceptional measure … to help improve the accessibility of the voting process.” (Elections Canada)