Outreach
We encourage everyone to learn about Ontario’s electoral process.
We provide educational resources about voting in Ontario to teachers, community organizations and the public. We also participate in events to promote active civic engagement.
Subscribe to EO’s outreach newsletter to stay informed. You’ll also receive outreach kits and other materials ahead of elections and by-elections.
Find out more about the electoral process in Ontario: download educational resources, request a presentation or contact us.
On May 28, Elections Ontario participated in the 11th Annual Toronto Newcomer Day at Nathan Phillips Square. The outreach team was one of over 100 organizations to host a booth at the event, engaging with newcomers and new citizens about the resources available to them.
Throughout the day the outreach team spoke with thousands of attendees about the role of Elections Ontario, voter registration, and how to vote in provincial elections.
On May 24, 2025, Elections Ontario hosted a booth at the Ontario History and Social Science Teachers' Association (OHASSTA) conference, held at McMaster University in Hamilton. The event featured keynote and panel speakers, as well as workshops and discussions on topics including Canadian Black History, STEM, AI, and the Humanities—all tailored to civics and social studies educators across Ontario.
During the event, the outreach team spoke with attendees about voter registration, accessibility, the Ontario Register of Future Voters and encouraged attendees to order our free curriculum resources.
From April 3rd - 5th, Elections Ontario attended workshops and hosted a booth at the Democracy XChange event hosted by OCAD University, Open Democracy Project, Toronto Metropolitan University and The Dais in Toronto.
This event boasted an opening speech by Mayor Olivia Chow, an art exhibit, numerous workshops and keynotes, and a unique audience-led singing experience by CHOiR, CHOiR, CHOiR to close out the three-day event.
The outreach team engaged with approximately 300 attendees to share information about the Ontario Register of Future Voters, available Elections Ontario resources, and the voting process in Ontario.
On March 21, Elections Ontario hosted a booth at the CIVIX Democracy Bootcamp in Toronto. This event showcased a variety of tools, resources, and technology available to civics and social studies teachers from across Ontario.
During the event, the outreach team spoke with close to 150 attendees about voter registration, the Ontario Register of Future Voters and the role of Elections Ontario. The team also encouraged attendees to order our free curriculum resources.
On January 30 and 31, the Elections Ontario outreach team hosted a booth at the Ontario Library Association Super Conference in Toronto. This event showcased a variety of tools, technology, and resources available to educators and librarians across Canada.
During the 2-day event, the outreach team spoke with thousands of attendees about voter registration, the role of Elections Ontario, and encouraged libraries to order our educational resources. We also spoke to attendees about working during the election and our Youth at the Booth program.
On November 14, Elections Ontario attended the Canadian Immigrant Fair at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga. This event showcased a wide variety of resources available to newcomers and new Canadian citizens.
Throughout the day the outreach team staffed a booth and spoke with hundreds of attendees about voter eligibility, the role of Elections Ontario, and voter registration while distributing our educational resources.
On October 27, Elections Ontario attended the Student Life Expo hosted at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
Approximately 4,500 high school students and families attended the event, allowing the outreach team to speak directly and answer questions from future electors about voting in Ontario.
On October 16 & 17, Elections Ontario hosted a booth at the 2024 Ontario College Fair in Toronto. The event was attended by approximately 10,000 high school students.
The outreach team spoke with students and teachers throughout the day about the Ontario Register of Future Voters.
On October 3, students, faculty and staff from McMaster University’s CIVDEM@Mac learning pathway visited Elections Ontario for a day of interactive sessions on administering provincial elections.
During the visit, students had the opportunity to meet and learn from the Elections Ontario team, including Ontario's Chief Electoral Officer. They observed live demonstrations, participated in interactive activities, and were encouraged to ask questions throughout the day.
In recognition of the 2024 International Day of Democracy, Chief Electoral Officer Greg Essensa travelled to Kingston, Ontario to speak with students at Frontenac Secondary School, Queen’s University, and the Royal Military College of Canada.
During three events, the CEO spoke to students about the future of elections and the importance of ongoing democratic engagement. The Elections Ontario outreach team also distributed information to students about the Ontario Register of Future Voters and voting as a post-secondary student.
On June 27, Elections Ontario hosted a booth at the Canadian Immigrant Fair at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
This event gave the outreach team the opportunity to speak with hundreds of new Canadians and future voters about the role of Elections Ontario and voting in Ontario elections.
On June 5 and 6, Elections Ontario took part in the 2024 Canadian Vote Summit, hosted by the Democratic Engagement Exchange. The summit consisted of panels and keynotes that brought together leading scholars, public servants, students and others to discuss current issues and trends in democracy.
Ontario’s Chief Electoral Officer spoke on a panel about misinformation, and the outreach team hosted a booth and engaged with attendees throughout the event.
On May 23, Elections Ontario took part in the 10th annual Toronto Newcomer Day hosted by the City of Toronto. Approximately 12,000 newcomers attended the event to learn about various resources available to new Canadians from more than 140 exhibitors.
The outreach team hosted a booth at the event and spoke with thousands of newcomers about voter eligibility and voting as a new citizen.
On April 12 and 13, Elections Ontario participated in the annual DemocracyXChange conference hosted at OCAD University and Toronto Metropolitan University.
The conference connected 700 researchers, students, community leaders to discuss democracy and civic engagement. The outreach team spoke with attendees about voting in Ontario and our educational resources.
On November 27, political science students, faculty and staff from McMaster University visited Elections Ontario for a day of interactive sessions and presentations about administering provincial elections.
The students met with various Elections Ontario teams and had a chance to ask questions throughout the day.
On November 18, Elections Ontario hosted a booth at the Student Life Expo at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
The expo was attended by approximately 4,500 high school students, allowing Elections Ontario to directly engage with future voters.
On October 18 and 19, Elections Ontario attended the 2023 Ontario College Fair at the Enercare Centre in Toronto. The event was attended by approximately 15,000 high school students.
Elections Ontario hosted a booth and shared materials and information about the Ontario Register of Future Voters and voting as a post-secondary student.
In recognition of the 2023 International Day of Democracy, Chief Electoral Officer Greg Essensa travelled to McMaster University in Hamilton and to H.B. Beal Secondary School in London to speak with students about Elections Ontario, the principles of democracy, and the importance of ongoing democratic engagement.
During these two events, the CEO engaged with more than 270 high school and university students and staff. The outreach team also distributed materials to students about voting in Ontario, and the Ontario Register of Future Voters.
On July 4th, Chief Electoral Officer Greg Essensa spoke at an Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Citizenship Ceremony in Mississauga.
He congratulated the new citizens and provided them with information about how they can now participate in Ontario elections.
On June 19th and 20th Elections Ontario attended the 2023 Canadian Vote Summit at Toronto Metropolitan University. The Summit brought together leaders in the public service, leading scholars and others to discus issues facing modern-day democracy.
Chief Electoral Officer Greg Essensa spoke on a panel about election modernization, and the outreach team hosted a booth throughout the event.
On May 25th, Elections Ontario attended Toronto Newcomer Day at Nathan Phillips Square. This annual event welcomes newcomers to Toronto, helps them understand and access a range of services, and celebrates their contributions to the city.
Elections Ontario hosted a booth at the event and provided information about voting in Ontario to newcomers and others who stopped by.
From March 23rd to 25th, Elections Ontario hosted a booth at the annual Democracy XChange Conference at Toronto Metropolitan University.
The conference convened researchers, practitioners, and community leaders to connect with each other and to discuss how to strenghten Canada’s democracy.
Chief Electoral Officer, Greg Essensa, attended an Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada ceremony to congratulate new Canadians on their eligibility to vote in Ontario provincial elections. The new citizens were provided with information about how to add their name to the voters list and what happens when you go to vote.
To celebrate the International Day of Democracy, Chief Electoral Officer, Greg Essensa, visited a class of Grade 10 students at Loretto Abbey Catholic Secondary School. The aim of the event was to promote civic literacy by completing one of the lessons from Elections Ontario’s new Grade 10 Civics and Citizenship curriculum resource.
In September, an updated version of Elections Ontario’s curriculum resources for Grade 5 Social Studies and for Grade 10 Civics and Citizenship was launched. These curriculum resources are meant for all educators to make teaching about Ontario’s provincial elections easy and enjoyable for their students. The resources are available both in English and French and align with the Ontario curriculum.
Elections Ontario celebrated Toronto Newcomer Day 2021 with the City of Toronto. Toronto Newcomer Day is an annual celebration to officially welcome newcomers to Toronto and provide information for their social, political, civic, and economic participation.
Elections Ontario hosted a virtual booth and shared information about voting and voter registration, the different levels of elections, and job opportunities during an election.
Ontario’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Greg Essensa, spoke at a virtual citizenship ceremony hosted by the Institute for Canadian Citizenship and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. The ceremony welcomed 54 new citizens from 17 countries to Canada. The CEO congratulated everyone on the significant milestone and encouraged democratic participation by voting, working in an election or running as a candidate!
As part of this year’s Provincial Voter Registration Month, Elections Ontario invited schools across the province to run virtual registration drives for future voters.
Congratulations to students from the following participating schools:
Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School
Bishop Macdonell Catholic High School
Bur Oak Secondary School
Earl Haig Secondary School
Marymount Academy
St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School
St. Charles College
Woodbridge College
We can’t wait to see you at the polls!
Didn’t get a chance to participate? You can still register!
If you are 16 or 17 years old, a Canadian citizen and a resident of Ontario, you can add your name to the Ontario Register of Future Voters!
Registering means you will automatically be added to the voters list on your 18th birthday. You will also receive information in the mail from us about when, where and how to vote once an election is called.
This March, Elections Ontario joined Elections Canada and Amplify Ryerson at a virtual forum about building democratic engagement on campuses, post-secondary student voting options, and election readiness.
Elections Ontario met with agencies and individuals representing people with disabilities to continue our commitment to removing barriers for voters.
Previous consultations have provided guidance on the introduction of technology in the polls and the development of eRegistration.
We hosted a virtual booth at the OHASSTA conference on October 23 to share information about our educational resources with teachers, consultants, and other educational stakeholders.
To celebrate the International Day of Democracy on September 15, Elections Ontario participated in the virtual launch of Ryerson University’s Canadian Vote Summit.
The online event featured Greg Essensa, Chief Electoral Officer of Ontario reflecting on the 100-year anniversary of Elections Ontario, the future of elections in challenging times, and electoral modernization and innovation.
On January 30, the Chief Electoral Officer of Ontario, Greg Essensa, attended the post-secondary model parliament hosted at the Ontario Legislative Assembly, where he had the chance to speak with youth from post-secondary institutions from across the province about the work of Elections Ontario.
The three-day program offers post-secondary students the opportunity to learn about the inner workings of the legislative process through workshops and meeting with key figures in Ontario’s parliament. More information about the program can be found on the Ontario Legislative Assembly’s website.
Elections Ontario’s visited the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Center (MNJCC) as part of their Citizenship Project. The Citizenship Project is a sixteen-week program that explores the topics of civic engagement, politics, city building and advocacy for young adults with intellectual disabilities.
For this year’s International Day of Democracy, Elections Ontario partnered with the Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, the Samara Centre for Democracy, and the Canadian Vote Coalition to host Dare to Discuss, on September 12 at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
The event encouraged Ontarians of all ages and abilities to think about democracy as it stands today and to envision new ways of engagement for the future.
Top photo, from left: Pam Sugiman, Ryerson University Dean of Arts; The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario; Greg Essensa, Chief Electoral Officer of Ontario.
On Thursday, May 16th, Elections Ontario hosted a booth for Toronto Newcomer Day, to provide information about voting in Ontario and getting involved with elections to new Canadian citizens.
Elections Ontario hosted a booth at the annual Democracy XChange conference.
While there, we surveyed conference attendees on potential innovations to Ontario’s elections public education strategies.
We attended the annual Ontario History and Social Sciences Teacher’s Association OHASSTA-AESHO conference to share our educational resources with teachers, consultants, and other educational stakeholders.
For this International Day of Democracy, we asked you why #DemocracyMatters.
We also co-hosted the “Youth Lead Democracy Awards” to recognize young democracy leaders who volunteered to promote the June 7th provincial election.
The youngest honouree was a 12 year old Aryan from the YMCA Youth Leadership Development Program. Aryan delivered the keynote speech, “You have a voice, use it!”
Elections Ontario (EO) is committed to respecting your privacy and protecting your personal information (PI) in accordance with our Privacy Policy. The PI on this form is collected under the authority of the Election Act, Election Finances Act, Employment Standards Act, 2000 and/or other legislation.
This information will be used for electoral purposes and may be used to conduct election research. Your PI may be shared internally at EO for the purposes outlined above and will be securely destroyed one year after its last use or later, where legislatively required. Questions about the collection can be directed to: priv@elections.on.ca.