To vote in Canada in a federal election, you need to be a Canadian citizen who is at least 18 years old on election day, registered on the voters list (or willing to register when you arrive at the poll), and able to prove your identity and address with accepted ID. Once those three pieces are in place, you can cast your ballot in person on election day, at an advance poll, by mail, or at your local Elections Canada office.
Who Is Eligible
Federal eligibility has two requirements: Canadian citizenship, and being at least 18 years old on election day.1Elections Canada. Voter Registration No property ownership, no minimum residency period, no literacy test. Canadians living abroad and Canadians serving prison sentences also keep the right to vote; both use special procedures covered further down.
Provincial and municipal elections set their own rules, and some provinces let permanent residents vote locally. Those rules don’t affect federal eligibility.
Getting on the Voters List
Elections Canada keeps a permanent database called the National Register of Electors, which holds the name, address, date of birth, and gender of every registered voter.2Elections Canada. Description of the National Register of Electors It’s updated using data from the Canada Revenue Agency, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, provincial motor vehicle agencies, and other government sources. When you file your tax return and authorize the CRA to share your information with Elections Canada, your registration updates automatically.3Canada Revenue Agency. Elections Canada
To check your registration, update your address, or register for the first time, use Elections Canada’s Online Voter Registration Service. You can also register by contacting your local Elections Canada office during an election period. You’ll need your full legal name, date of birth, and current residential address.
Missed all of that? You can still register at your assigned polling station on election day.1Elections Canada. Voter Registration You’ll prove your identity and address the same way every other voter does, so bring your ID. Same-day registration is only available when a general election or by-election is underway in your riding.
ID Accepted at the Polls
Before you get a ballot, you must prove your identity and address. Elections Canada gives you three ways to do it.4Elections Canada. ID to Vote
One Piece of Government-Issued Photo ID
Show a single card issued by a Canadian federal, provincial, territorial, or local government that has your photo, name, and current address. A driver’s licence is the most common. A provincial or territorial identity card works too.
Two Pieces of ID
If your photo ID doesn’t show your address, show two separate documents instead. Both must have your name, and at least one must show your current address.4Elections Canada. ID to Vote The accepted list is long: health card, bank statement, utility bill, student ID card, income tax assessment, hospital card, residential lease, and many others. A Canadian passport proves your name but not your address, so pair it with something that shows where you live.
One detail that trips people up: Elections Canada accepts expired ID as long as the name and address are still current. An expired health card paired with a current utility bill works.
Vouching if You Have No ID
If you have no ID at all, another voter can vouch for you. The voucher has to be registered at a polling station serving the same area as yours, has to personally know you, and has to prove their own identity and address. One person can only vouch for one other voter per election, and someone who was themselves vouched for cannot vouch for anyone else.5Department of Justice Canada. Canada Elections Act – Section 282.1 You both sign a written declaration in front of an election officer.
What Happens on Election Day
Go to the polling station listed on your voter information card. Polls are typically open from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time, though hours shift slightly by time zone. Present your ID to an election worker, who finds your name on the voters list.
A deputy returning officer then hands you a paper ballot listing the candidates in your riding in alphabetical order, each with a circle beside their name. Take the ballot behind the voting screen and mark an X in the circle next to your candidate.6Elections Canada. Deputy Returning Officer Guidebook – Counting the Ballots Fold the ballot without showing your mark, return to the worker, and they’ll confirm the ballot’s serial number, tear off the numbered strip, and hand the ballot back for you to drop into the box yourself.7Elections Canada. Voting Safeguards
If You Cannot Vote on Election Day
You have three alternatives.
Advance Polls
Advance polls run for four days the week before election day, Friday through Monday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.8Inspire Democracy. Guide to the Federal Election Vote at the advance polling station listed on your voter information card, using the same ID rules and ballot process as election day.
Mail-In (Special Ballot)
Apply to vote by mail through the special ballot process. Your application must reach Elections Canada by 6 p.m. on the Tuesday before election day.9Elections Canada. Voting by Special Ballot – Media Guide Once approved, you’ll receive a voting kit. Your completed ballot must arrive back at Elections Canada by election day to be counted, so apply early.
At a Local Elections Canada Office
During the election period, you can vote in person at your local Elections Canada office before election day. This route also uses the special ballot process and is useful when advance polling dates don’t fit your schedule.
Voting From Outside Canada
Canadian citizens living abroad vote by registering on the International Register of Electors. You must be a citizen, at least 18 on election day, and you must have lived in Canada at some point.10Elections Canada. Registration and Voting Processes for Canadians Who Live Abroad
Apply online or by mailing a paper form with a copy of your Canadian passport, citizenship card, or Canadian birth certificate. You don’t have to prove your address abroad, but you do have to give your last Canadian address, which determines the riding where your vote is counted. That address cannot be changed once you’re on the register.
When an election is called, Elections Canada automatically mails a special ballot kit to everyone on the International Register. Canadian embassies, consulates, and high commissions can supply information, receive your ballot, and return it by courier at no cost. If the postal service where you live is unreliable, you can have your ballot sent through a diplomatic office instead.
Voting From a Correctional Institution
Canadian citizens serving a sentence in a correctional institution or federal penitentiary can vote in federal elections, regardless of sentence length.11Elections Canada. Voting by Incarcerated Electors The same citizenship and age requirements apply. A liaison officer at each institution helps with registration and voting through the special ballot process, and polling stations are set up inside institutions on the 12th day before election day, opening at 9 a.m. and closing when all electors have voted or at 8 p.m., whichever comes first. For voting purposes, the institution is not your residence: your ballot counts in the riding where you lived before incarceration, or where a spouse, partner, or close relative lives if you had no fixed address.
Accessibility at the Polls
Every polling station must have either an automatic door opener or an election worker at the entrance to help voters in.12Elections Canada. Electors With Disabilities Voting guides, the accepted ID list, and other materials are available in braille, large print, e-text, and DAISY audio format, distributed with help from the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. Sign language videos in ASL and LSQ with open captioning are also available.
If you need sign language interpretation at the polls, contact Elections Canada well before election day; deadlines apply. If your assigned polling station doesn’t meet your accessibility needs or no accessible station is within a reasonable distance, call Elections Canada at 1-800-463-6868 (TTY: 1-800-361-8935) to arrange an alternative.
Time Off Work to Vote
The Canada Elections Act guarantees every eligible employee three consecutive hours to vote while the polls are open on election day.13Department of Justice Canada. Canada Elections Act – Section 132 If your normal work schedule already gives you a three-hour window during polling hours, your employer owes you nothing more. If it doesn’t, your employer must let you leave for enough time to make up the three hours.
Your employer picks when the time off happens and can schedule it at the start or end of your shift to reduce disruption. They cannot dock your pay for it or penalize you for using it. An employer who fails to provide the required voting time faces a fine of up to $2,000, up to three months in jail, or both, and the penalties climb steeply if the interference amounts to intimidation or actively preventing an employee from voting.14Department of Justice Canada. Canada Elections Act – Section 500