Voter turnout
How many people actually vote in Barrie's municipal elections. Never most of them: the highest figure on record here is under 32%.
General elections
Barrie Ontario average
| Election | Eligible voters | Ballots cast | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | ≈ 103,790‡ | 31,604 | 30.45% |
| 2018 | 92,156 | ≈ 27,324* | 29.65% |
| 2014 | 90,089 | ≈ 28,603* | 31.75% |
| 2010 | not published | ≥ 35,020† | not published |
| 2006 | not published | ≥ 29,035† | not published |
| 2003 | not published | ≥ 27,529† | not published |
Sources: 2022 from the City Clerk's certificate, which states turnout directly. 2014 and 2018 from the City's archived results pages; those certificates carry no turnout at all. No turnout figure has been located for 2003, 2006 or 2010.
Only the 2022 ballot count is attested on a certificate; every marked figure is a calculation, and the marker says which. * eligible voters × turnout, both inputs from the City's archived pages, rounded. † the sum of votes recorded in that year's mayoral race, used where no electorate or percentage was published (a floor, since ballots that skipped or spoiled that race are not in it). ‡ ballots cast ÷ turnout, both from the certificate. For 2003 the mayoral-race floor is all there is: its certificate — recovered from the Internet Archive — carries no turnout, electorate, or ballot figures at all.
By-elections
A by-election fills a single seat mid-term. Turnout is far lower, and these figures should never be read on the same line as a general election.
| By-election | Seat | Eligible voters | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Ward 3 | not published | 23.8% |
| 2016 | Ward 7 | 9,180 | 17.5% |
| 2012 | Ward 8 | not published | not published |
Source: City of Barrie archived election pages.
Turnout by ward
Ward-level turnout exists for two general elections. The only wards without a figure are the two whose council seats were acclaimed — Ward 6 in 2014 and Ward 9 in 2018. No vote was held for those seats, so the City published no turnout: the chart marks them acclaimed rather than drawing a zero that never happened.
2014 2018
| Ward | 2018 | 2014 |
|---|---|---|
| Ward 1 | 33.48% | 33.14% |
| Ward 2 | 35.5% | 34.2% |
| Ward 3 | 29.45% | 32.45% |
| Ward 4 | 31.92% | 35.29% |
| Ward 5 | 29.82% | 32.79% |
| Ward 6 | 27.53% | acclaimed |
| Ward 7 | 24.42% | 26% |
| Ward 8 | 29.08% | 31.27% |
| Ward 9 | acclaimed | 30.72% |
| Ward 10 | 28.4% | 33.03% |
Source: City of Barrie archived results pages for 2014 and 2018. No ward-level turnout has been located for 2010 or 2022.
Where a ward reads acclaimed (Ward 6 in 2014, Ward 9 in 2018), the council seat was won without a contest and the City published no ward turnout figure for it. People in those wards still voted for mayor and school board, so this is not a claim that nobody voted there. Those are the only two cells missing in either year. Every acclaimed seat on record.
Reading across rows takes care too. Ward boundaries were redrawn for 2026 and have moved before, so a ward number does not describe the same territory in every year. What changed.
Common questions
What is voter turnout in Barrie municipal elections?
Never most eligible voters: the highest figure on record here is under 32%. The table on this page lists citywide turnout for every general election with a published figure, from the City Clerk's certificates and the City's archived results pages; no turnout figure has been located for 2003, 2006 or 2010.
What was voter turnout in the 2022 Barrie election?
30.45%, with 31,604 ballots cast, as stated on the City Clerk's certificate — the one ballot count on this page attested on a certificate rather than calculated. See the 2022 results.
Is turnout available by ward?
For two general elections: 2014 and 2018, from the City's archived results pages. The only wards without a figure are the two whose council seats were acclaimed — Ward 6 in 2014 and Ward 9 in 2018 — where no vote was held for the seat and the City published no turnout. No ward-level turnout has been located for 2010 or 2022.