45th Federal Election

You are voting for a candidate to represent you as a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons in Ottawa. 

To find your riding, click here.

Am I eligible to vote?

To be eligible to vote in Canada, you must be:

• Be at least 18 years old on election day
• Have Canadian citizenship

Where and when can I vote?

On Voting Day -
Every voter is assigned a voting place depending on where you live. Check your Voter Information Card for the location and address, or look it up at Elections Canada.

Advance Polls 
You don't need any reason to vote in advance and sometimes it's just nice to get voting done early! Y

At an electoral office 

Vote by mail
Usually for voters who are away from Canada during the election but also a very popular option during the pandemic.

On Campus Voting 

Do I need to register to vote?

Yes! You can do it in five minutes right here.

Canadians living abroad who are eligible to vote can register on the International Register of Electors.

If you don’t have ID, you can still vote if you 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 voucher must be able to prove their identity and address. A person can vouch for only one person (except in long-term care institutions).

Yes!

If you have a Driver's License, or any other card issued by a Canadian government (federal, provincial/territorial or local) with your photo, name and current address, that's all you need!

If you don't have one of those, head to Elections Canada to see their very very long list of what you can bring to prove your identity.

Of course you can! Elections Canada is actually hoping younger Canadians will step up and work the polls as the threat of COVID puts older folks (who usually work at voting stations) at risk. There’s a long list of jobs available. Check it out here.

Voters are entitled to three consecutive hours free from work to vote during advance voting or on Voting Day.

This doesn't mean you get to just take off from work for three hours though. It just means you have to be given a window of three hours to vote at some point during the day. So if you work from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM, you still have three hours before your shift begins to vote (8:00 AM to 12:00 PM).

Your boss can't dock your pay or penalize you for taking time to vote. You actually have to be paid your regular wage for the hours you're not working while you vote. Have that conversation with your employer now as they have the right to decide when you get your time off!

For more info on Time off Work for voting, click here.

If you already know you're going to be busy or away on vacation (lucky you) on Election Day, make a plan to vote early!

You can also vote now at any electoral district office. Find the nearest one to you here!

If you're a student, you can register and vote in either the riding where you live while going to school or the electoral district you usually live in when you’re not at school (like maybe with your parents). In either case, you need to be registered to that riding and have ID to show you live there.

Where you vote depends on where your reserve is. Elections Canada has increased the amount of polling stations on reserves and the number of voting days.

It's also made election info available in more than a dozen Indigenous languages. Check it out here.

If you're away from Canada during the election, you can request a vote-by-mail package. Actually, you don't need any reason to vote-by-mail and it's a good option if you're also playing it safe with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Request your package here.

Let's say you just moved and the address on your Driver's License isn't up to date yet. No worries!

Look up where to vote at the Elections Canada website and bring proof of your new address. They'll update your registration for you and let you vote right away.

In order to vote, you have to register. But folks who are homeless may not have a permanent address. So what do you do? You can use the address of a shelter, hostel or similar place that provides food, lodging or other social services.

When you vote you also need to show ID, which can be a challenge for homeless people. If you don't have any physical ID, you can declare your identity and address in writing and have someone you know vouch for you. 

The voucher must be:

• a registered voter resident in the riding you want to vote in, OR
• a spouse, parent, grandparent, adult child, adult grandchild or adult sibling of the voter, OR
• a person with the authority to make personal care decisions for the voter

We're thrilled that you're already excited to vote even though you can't this year.

If you're 14-17, you can register as a future voter and be added to the voters list on your 18th birthday.

Otherwise, you can talk to eligible voters in your life about what you care about and why they should vote. Encourage them to use their voices to support you, themselves and your community!

Key information about voting and registration is available online, in print, and in the following alternative formats upon request: 

• Large print
• Braille
• Audio CD and files (i.e. DAISY)
• Full transcription
• Captioning
• ASL and LSQ videos

Using the polling place suitability checklist ensures that polling places are evaluated for accessibility before the election. Of the 37 accessibility criteria on the checklist, 15 are mandatory. During elections, you can find out if your polling place meets your accessibility needs by

Checking your voter information card, which is mailed to every registered elector.

• Some services available to you
  
  

Assistance in marking your ballot: Bring a support person (such as a family member, friend, personal support worker, or intervener) to help you vote.

Sign language interpretation: Once an election is called, contact Elections Canada to share  what type of interpretation service you need.

• Some tools available at polling stations:

Bigger ballot with candidate names in larger print

Large-print and braille lists of candidates
Tactile and braille voting templates
Magnifiers
Large-grip pencils

Voting screens that let in more light

Signature guide

Voter information and voting in multiple languages 

• Elections Canada offers the Guide to the federal election and the voter ID info sheet in sixteen Indigenous languages
• Elections Canada offers the Guide to the federal election and the voter ID info sheet in more than 30 languages
• Interpretation services are available at all of Elections Canada offices open during federal elections, including on-campus offices.
  Over-the-phone service is available in more than 100 languages, including Indigenous languages. Interpreters are also available at the polls to help electors vote, when booked in advance.