Below are frequently asked questions about Canada’s federal elections, including information for before you vote, when you vote, and after you vote.
Before you vote
To vote in a federal election, you must:
- Be a Canadian citizen
- Be at least 18 years old on election day
- Prove your identity and address
Your vote is your voice. Voting for the candidate of your choice is a privilege of our democracy that is not an option for many people across the world. It allows you to have a say in who should represent you and your community.
Canada is divided into 338 districts, also known as ridings. One representative, also known as a Member of Parliament, is elected to represent the people in each riding.
You can find out what riding you are in by entering your postal code into the voter information service, by checking your voter information card, or by calling Elections Canada.
Everyone who wants to vote in Canada’s federal elections must be registered to vote.
When you register to vote, you will be added to the National Register of Electors, a database of Canadians who are qualified to vote in federal elections. When a federal election is called, a list of electors is created from the database.
All electors who are registered early in the election period will receive a voter information card in the mail from Elections Canada after the election is called.
You can register to vote online or in person.
You should vote at your assigned polling station in your riding. Find your assigned polling station by entering your postal code into the voter information service, by checking your voter information card sent in the mail before an election, or by calling Elections Canada.
If you are registered to vote, you will get a voter information card in the mail ahead of the designated voting days after an election is called.
Your voter information card tells you:
- Where and when you can vote
- The accessibility of your assigned polling station
- How to request voting assistance in advance, including language and sign language interpretation
To vote in a federal election, you must be able to prove your address and identity. If you don’t have any ID, you can read about the options available to you.
Who can vote (and how to do it)
Federal elections offer several ways for you to cast your vote. You can vote by mail, in-person on election day, at an advance poll location, or at a local Elections Canada office.
Electors living in a hospital or long-term care facility have the opportunity to vote in different ways. This can include the option to vote at a mobile polling station at their residence or hospital ward.
To vote, you must prove your identity and address. Sometimes, the address written on your documents may not match the address of the hospital or long-term care facility you are staying in. That’s okay, since there are plenty of other options available for you to provide proof. For example, you can show a piece of ID with your name on it, such as a health card, birth certificate, or hospital bracelet.
An additional option is to show a Letter of Confirmation of Residence. This is an official form that can be filled out by you and whoever administers the residence.
Residents of long-term care facilities are permitted to show photocopies of ID and address documents.
Eligible electors who are homeless are welcome to register and vote.
While the standard voting process requires you to prove your identity and address with an acceptable ID, there are other ways to prove eligibility without a fixed address.
To prove your identity, you can show a piece of ID with your name on it, like a fishing license, library card, social insurance card (SIN card), birth certificate or Veterans Affairs Canada Health Identification Card. To prove your address, you can show an official letter called a “Letter of Confirmation of Residence.” If you have been to any shelters or soup kitchens, you can ask the administrator for this letter.
Another option is to declare your identity and address in writing and have someone who knows you and who is assigned to your polling station vouch for you. The person who vouches for you can only vouch for one person and must be able to prove their identity and address.
Yes. Prisoners that are eligible to vote can vote in their correctional institution or federal penitentiary.
Yes, you are allowed time off work to vote. Everyone who is eligible to vote must have three consecutive hours to cast their vote.
For example, imagine your polling station is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.:
- If you work from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., you do not have three consecutive hours to vote. Your employer must give you three hours off of work
- If you work from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., you have three consecutive hours to vote. You are not eligible to get time off of work
- If you work from 9 a.m to 5 p.m, you do not have three consecutive hours to vote. Your employer must let you come to work later (10 a.m.) or leave earlier (4 p.m.)
You will still get paid during this time off. It is an offence for employers to refuse to give you three hours to vote, reduce your pay, or interfere with your decision to vote.
Your employer has the right to decide when the time off to vote will be given.
When you vote
Pencils will be given to each elector who votes at a polling station. However, you are allowed to bring your own pen or pencil to mark your ballot.
You can take as much time as you want to cast your vote.
After you vote
After the polls close, votes are counted at each polling station. The number of votes for each candidate are sent to the returning officer, who validates the results. If the number of votes for the two leading candidates are close, the votes may be recounted by a judge.. After these results come in, the judge delivers the results to the returning officer.
Learn more about what happens after voting in a federal election and how ballots are counted.
Results are published as soon as they become available. Preliminary results, which are election results that have not yet been certified, will be made available on election night on the Elections Canada website. Returning officers will validate these results, which will also be made public as they become available. Once validation is completed, the returning officer will wait seven days to formally declare a winner.
When you give feedback about the accessibility of a polling station, you can help Elections Canada make improvements.
