Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault acknowledged "unacceptable" irregularities in the April 28 vote, including misplaced ballots, website crashes, and random poll closures.

This follows complaints, which surged 64% from 9,410 in 2021 to 15,400, according to Blacklock’s.

“We saw things we hadn’t seen before, errors that we hadn’t seen before,” said Perrault. His Report On The 45th General Election noted 36% of returning officers and 73% of poll workers were inexperienced.

The acknowledgement comes after media reports that Elections Canada declined over 43,000 mail-in ballots received after the April 28 election's 6 PM Eastern deadline. The agency did not specify the ridings where these "late" ballots were cast, in an election that led to judicial recounts in four ridings. 

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Chief Electoral Officer @cef_cce Stéphane Perrault acknowledges “unacceptable” irregularities in April 28 vote including misplaced ballots, crashing websites and random poll closures. Public complaints were up 64% compared to 2021 general election. https://t.co/OV8CIXTJe1… pic.twitter.com/w7hDFRNdOl

— Holly Doan (@hollyanndoan) September 16, 2025

Perrault's report confirmed that 467 mail-in ballots were mishandled and excluded from the official count in Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish, N.S., and Northumberland-Clarke, Ontario. The ballots were found after results were validated, when Elections Canada offices were closing.

Perrault apologized on May 7 after 822 mail-in ballots across 74 contests were left uncounted in Coquitlam, B.C. The agency claimed these ballots didn't impact riding outcomes. Elections Canada couldn't confirm timely mail-in ballot dispatches, citing a lack of "tracking mechanisms."

According to Elections Canada, 7.5 million Canadians voted at advance polls, a 27% increase from 2021. Ballot shortages occurred in West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country, Yukon, and Yellowhead, Alberta.

“This led to temporary delays at four polling places,” wrote Perrault. “In response Elections Canada implemented contingency measures to ensure electors could still vote, including authorizing the local printing of emergency ballots.”

Bombshell: Over 120,000 mail-in ballots went uncounted — but trust the system, they said

Out of 1,321,449 special ballots issued, only 1,200,808 were actually tallied — meaning 9.1% vanished into the system’s cracks.

FULL REPORT by @SheilaGunnReid: https://t.co/BSQ4v2Ng1s

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) July 19, 2025

Perrault's report also confirmed two rural communities in Abitibi-Baie-James-Nunavik-Eeyou couldn't vote due to unopened polls, calling the situation "unacceptable." The agency vowed to investigate, publicize findings, and collaborate with local Nunavik organizations to improve service and guarantee voting rights.

The report revealed challenges in providing election day services to Indigenous communities in five ridings: Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies, Skeena-Bulkley Valley, Fort-McMurray-Cold Lake, Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River, and Kapuskasing-Timmins-Mushkegowuk.

Perrault reported another error in Terrebonne, Quebec, where staff garbled the return address on 115 mail-in ballots. Sixteen mail-in ballots were unaccounted for in a riding the Liberals won by one vote. The outcome is under review in Québec Superior Court.

From 7 PM Eastern on April 28, the agency's website experienced intermittent shutdowns, affecting 920,654 users who tried to access it on election day. Normal service wasn't restored until 5 AM the following morning.

Elections Canada drops the ball with 'longest ballot scam' in Poilievre byelection

Concerns are being raised about whether all of these seemingly fake candidates meet all the requirements.https://t.co/mhSourv6Cr

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) July 24, 2025

Elections Canada also admitted long waits in key ridings like Poilievre's own in Carleton, Ont., due to a one-meter ballot with 91 protest candidates, causing delayed counts and voter confusion.

Perrault warned in November 2024 that the "Longest Ballot" protest movement could hinder voting for Canadians with language or accessibility barriers, due to smaller font sizes on larger ballots.

He suggested to MPs that the law be changed to prevent an individual from signing candidacy papers for multiple candidates, considering that nomination papers for Largest Ballot participants have “largely identical signatures.”

Conservative MP Ned Kuruc earlier sponsored a Commons petition to modify electoral law. It closed July 12 with 31,840 signatures.