Ontario election: Elections Ontario says system crash fixed after political parties unable to access voting information
Voters head to the polls for the 2022 Ontario provincial election. This file will be updated throughout the day. Visit regularly for breaking news and key analysis on the election.
1:57 p.m (updated) - Elections Ontario says it has finally resolved a technical issue that prevented political parties from accessing voting information.
Sources from some of the major political parties tell the Star that the flow of information includes lists of who has voted, with updates every fifteen minutes. The secure internal portal providing this information has reportedly been down all day.
In an email obtained by the Star, Elections Ontario reported at 1:43 p.m. that the connectivity issue has been resolved" and that the data would be updating automatically. Elections Ontario said it worked with the telecommunications provider in order to resolve the issue, and would reflect a surge in information from the electors that voted this morning."
However, some party insiders tell the Star the issue remains unresolved and parties are still unable to access voter information.
That data reportedly began flowing shortly after 2 p.m.
Parties were still able to gather that information by hand at polling stations.
"It didn't really affect us," said Liberal Party spokeswoman Beckie Codd-Downey.
The Green Party of Ontario said they also pivoted to picking up polling data in person.
1:39 p.m. - It has been a mixed bag of experiences at some Toronto polling stations Thursday.
Deborah told the Star she arrived to vote at a polling station in York Region on Thursday morning and elections volunteers turned her away for bringing a passport to accompany her voter ID card. The Elections Ontario site says passports are accepted forms of identification when voting.
Kevin Chan voted by mail-in ballot for the first time in the fall 2021 federal election, to avoid line ups. He tried to go to the East York Community Centre last week to vote early but went on a day the centre was closed so he arrived in person Thursday to vote.
Dina Zotalis who has lived in the East York area for 55 years says she's never missed voting in an election and experienced a smooth process voting, as the voting location was at the East York Community Centre where she has been before.
East York Community Centre was one of the polling locations that was reportedly late in opening on Thursday morning.
1:04 p.m. - Elections Ontario has warned voters of "last-minute" location changes to some polling stations after voting got underway Thursday.
Polls opened across the province after a month-long election campaign that saw parties battle over the best approaches to affordability, health care and infrastructure.
"There have been some last-minute voting location changes which is why we are encouraging electors to enter their postal code into the voter information service on elections.on.ca, check the Elections Ontario app or call 1-888-668-8683 before they head out to the polls," said spokesperson Ebru Ozdemir Erol in an email.
The leaders of Ontario's four major parties cast their ballots earlier Thursday after voting got underway across the province.
Polling conducted earlier in the campaign suggests the Progressive Conservatives led by Doug Ford are poised to form a second majority government.
Ford largely campaigned on his party's promises to build Ontario highways and hospitals, as well as other measures he's touted as job-creators. He held limited media availabilities in the days leading up to the election.
The New Democrat and Liberal leaders both presented themselves as the only alternative to Ford's Tories and haven't outright said they will work together in the event of a Progressive Conservative minority.
It could be the last election as NDP leader for Andrea Horwath, who made a fourth run for the premier's office after her party made gains in 2018 to form the official Opposition in provincial parliament.
Her party has proposed speeding up pharmacare and dental care plans for Ontarians, hiring more nurses and teachers, covering mental health and birth control and raising the minimum wage to $20 in 2026.
The Liberals, meanwhile, are hoping to rebuild after a devastating defeat four years ago that saw their caucus reduced to just seven seats after spending more than a decade in government.
Leader Steven Del Duca, who lost his seat in 2018, is also facing an apparently tight race in his own riding of Vaughan-Woodbridge, though he says he intends to stick around as leader regardless of the result.
The Liberal platform includes plans to make COVID-19 vaccinations compulsory for school attendance, remove provincial HST on prepared foods under $20 and boost the minimum wage to $16 per hour by next year.
The Ontario Greens have proposed free mental health coverage, reaching net zero emissions by 2045 and protecting 30 per cent of Ontario lands and water by 2030.
That party led by Mike Schreiner is hoping to expand its caucus of one seat - won by Schreiner in Guelph four years ago - and has been eyeing a potential opening in Parry Sound-Muskoka.
The leaders are expected to hold events in the evening after the results roll in.
Elections Ontario has said that more than one million people voted in advance polls last month and also has noted a sharp rise in mail-in ballots requested compared with the 2018 election.
Voting kits were mailed to 126,135 eligible voters this time around, up from 15,202 ballots last election.
12:43 p.m. - Doug Ford's PCs are cruising toward a second majority, while Steven Del Duca is in a tough fight in his own riding, according to a poll aggregator.
No news is good news for Doug Ford.
The Progressive Conservative leader is still on course for a second straight majority, with Andrea Horwath leading the NDP to Official Opposition status once again, according to the latest Ontario election projection from The Signal, a poll aggregator created for the Star by Vox Pop Labs.
Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca is still on course to lose in his own riding, but incrementally less so than earlier this week.
The latest projection from The Signal has the PCs at 39.7 per cent of the popular vote, with the Liberals at 25.8, NDP at 22.9 and Greens at 5.4.
Read the full story by the Star's Josh Rubin.
11:30 a.m. - There are scattered reports of technical issues at voting locations across Ontario.
Voters have reported issues in ridings like Windsor West, Elgin-Middlesex-London, East York, Ottawa-West Nepean, Toronto Centre, and Scarborough Centre.
Some Twitter users allege a range of issues, from rejected IDs to incorrect records of whether or not people have voted.
A representative from Elections Ontario said that "all polling stations are up and running," with "no technical difficulties," contradicting reports from voters online.
11:17 a.m. - The leaders of Ontario's four major parties have cast their ballots after voting got underway across the province Thursday.
Andrea Horwath voted Thursday morning in Hamilton, Doug Ford voted in Toronto, while Steven Del Duca also voted Thursday in Woodbridge.
11 a.m. - How can I vote if I have COVID? What ID do I bring to the polls?
Polling stations opened across Ontario at 9 a.m. Thursday for in-person voting and will stay open until 9 p.m. In order to vote, you must be a Canadian citizen, be 18 years of age or older, and live in Ontario.
First-time voter and wondering what you need to bring with you? Do you have COVID but still want to vote?
Read the full story here by Star reporters Aisling Murphy and Ande Fraske-Bornyk.
9:53 a.m. - Voting has officially begun in Ontario. Polls opened across the province this morning after a month-long election campaign that saw parties battle over the best approaches to affordability, health care and infrastructure.
Polling conducted earlier in the campaign suggests the Progressive Conservatives led by Doug Ford are poised to form a second majority government.
Ford has campaigned largely on his party's promises to build Ontario highways and hospitals, as well as other measures he's touted as job-creators, and has held limited media availabilities in recent days.
The New Democrat and Liberal leaders have both been presenting themselves as the only alternative to Ford's Tories and haven't outright said they will work together in the event of a Progressive Conservative minority.
It could be the last election as NDP leader for Andrea Horwath, who's making a fourth run for the premier's office after her party made gains in 2018 to form the official Opposition in provincial parliament.
Her party has proposed speeding up pharmacare and dental care plans for Ontarians, hiring more nurses and teachers, covering mental health and birth control and raising the minimum wage to $20 in 2026.
The Liberals, meanwhile, are hoping to rebuild after a devastating defeat four years ago that saw their caucus reduced to just seven seats after spending more than a decade in government.
Leader Steven Del Duca, who lost his seat in 2018, is also facing an apparently tight race in his own riding of Vaughan-Woodbridge, though he says he intends to stick around as leader regardless of the result.
The Liberal platform includes plans to make COVID-19 vaccinations compulsory for school attendance, remove provincial HST on prepared foods under $20 and boost the minimum wage to $16 per hour by next year.
The Ontario Greens have proposed free mental health coverage, reaching net zero emissions by 2045 and protecting 30 per cent of Ontario lands and water by 2030.
That party led by Mike Schreiner is hoping to expand its caucus of one seat - won by Schreiner in Guelph four years ago - and has been eyeing a potential opening in Parry Sound-Muskoka.
Ford is expected to vote in his Toronto riding today, while Horwath will cast her ballot in Hamilton.
The leaders are expected to hold events in the evening after the results roll in.
Elections Ontario has said that more than one million people voted in advance polls last month and also has noted a sharp rise in mail-in ballots requested compared with the 2018 election.
Voting kits were mailed to 126,135 eligible voters this time around, up from 15,202 ballots last election.
9:25 a.m. - Think you're seeing more attack ads this election campaign? It's not just your imagination. If the Ontario election has struck you as a rather dreary exercise - neither hope nor change in the air - it may not be your imagination.
Advertising campaigns often set the tone for elections and one expert in political communication says Ontarians have been subject to a sustained exercise in negativity in the weeks leading up to election day 2022.
Tim Abray of Queen's University, who's just finishing his doctoral dissertation on the effects of negative advertising, has been paying close attention to what all of the Ontario parties have been putting in the political shop window during this campaign.
Read the full story by the Star's Susan Delacourt.
9:11 a.m. - Companies like Uber Canada are stepping up to try and get voters to the polls on election day. The ride-share company is offering a promo code that people can use across the province. Ontarians can use code ONVOTE2022 for up to 50 per cent off round trip rides to and from the polls, up to $5 off for each trip, while polls are open.
8:44 a.m. - There remains a blackout period prohibiting political advertising, with certain exceptions, the day before election day and on election day.
The restrictions around the blackout period don't apply to the official website of a registered political party, registered constituency association or registered candidate.
During a blackout period, some activities are permitted, says Elections Ontario, including allowing lawn signs and the distribution of brochures, robocalls, robotexts, interviews or commentaries for newspapers, magazine, or other periodical publications without any charge to the registered political party, and political advertisements on transit bus shelters or subway stations provided it was posted before and not altered during the blackout period.
8:30 a.m. - It's election day in Ontario, with voters heading to the polls to pick their next provincial government. While this election is predicted to be one in which voters don't have a huge desire for change, there are several interesting races to keep an eye on.
8:15 a.m. - Here's where the leaders are on the day of the 2022 Ontario election.
Read the full list on the Star.
8 a.m. - A confidential Liberal memo laid out strategy to hold Doug Ford's PCs to a minority government. According to internal polling obtained by the Star, though Doug Ford appears to lead in the June 2 election campaign, the Liberals have surged ahead of the NDP and could stop a Progressive Conservative majority.
Read the full story by the Star's Robert Benzie.
7:55 a.m. - Is basic income dead in Ontario, or just sleeping? The Star examined promises by all three opposition parties to revive basic income in some fashion, while the Progressive Conservatives would keep it mothballed.
Read the full story by the Star's Brendan Kennedy.
7:50 a.m. - ODSP rates have become a provincial election issue, with advocates calling for increased funding and less stringent measures to get people accepted. The Star spoke to one Ontario disability recipient who shared what it's like to live off $1,169 a month.
Read the full story by the Star's Alessia Passafiume.
7:45 a.m. - The Star has been fact checking each of the major party leaders for five days at a time, listening to everything that leader says publicly and classifying each statement of fact as true, false or a stretch.
Read the Star's Doug Ford fact check.
Read the Star's Andrea Horwath fact check.
Read the Star's Mike Schreiner fact check.
Read the Star's Steven Del Duca fact check.
7:30 a.m. - Visit the Star's promise tracker to compare the Ontario party leaders' pledges for the 2022 provincial election.
Read the full story here as the Star analyzed the policies of the Liberal, PC, NDP and Green parties on the big issues, including health care, education, economic recovery and more.