Skip to content

CANADA: Here's what you need to know about how to vote in the upcoming election

Election Day is Oct. 21, and advanced polls start on Oct. 11
ballot
Stock image

NEWS RELEASE
ELECTIONS CANADA
************************
GATINEAU - For the federal election now underway, electors can choose the voting option that best suits their schedule. They can vote:

  • on election day on Monday, Oct. 21, 2019;
  • at one of the advance polls, open from 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. (local time) on Friday, Oct. 11; Saturday, Oct. 12; Sunday, Oct. 13; or Monday, Oct. 14;
  • throughout the election period at one of over 500 Elections Canada offices. To vote at an Elections Canada office, electors must apply before Tuesday, October 15, 6:00 p.m. Application forms are available at Elections Canada offices or online;
  • on select campuses from Saturday, October 5, to Wednesday, October 9, 2019, using the special ballot process; or
  • by mail. Electors must apply to vote by mail before Tuesday, October 15, 6:00 p.m.
    • Application forms to vote by mail are available online. They are also available at any Elections Canada office, or can be requested by calling 1-800-463-6868.
    • Electors voting by mail should plan ahead. They must allow time for their voting kit to reach them and for their marked ballot to return to Elections Canada.

Returning officers may also set up voting kiosks in locations where electors may not be able to vote using traditional voting options. This includes: electors working in isolated areas, such as mining and oil field camps or lighthouses; electors in acute care hospitals; or electors who observe cultural or religious practices that restrict them from voting on specific dates.

Eligible electors who live in long-term care facilities can vote by regular ballot at a mobile polling station in their residence. For more information on this option, please contact your Elections Canada office.

To vote, electors must show proof of identity and address. The list of accepted pieces of identification is online.

Voting and identification rules are different for incarcerated electors and Canadian electors who live abroad. Electors who are members of the Canadian Armed Forces can now vote at a military polling station established at their unit or base, or use one of the voting options listed above.

Elections Canada is an independent, non-partisan agency that reports directly to Parliament.

***************************