Am I eligible to vote?

To be eligible to vote in New Brunswick, you must: 

• Be a Canadian citizen;
• Be at least 18 years old on Election Day;
• Have been or will have been ordinarily resident in the province for at least 40 days immediately before the election; and
• Be living in the electoral district on Election Day.

Where and when can I vote?

In person on Election Day

You can vote in person at your designated polling station on Election Day, October 21st 2024, between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Voting places will be listed on your Voter Information Card and here during the election. 

In person at a Returning Office

Immediately after a provincial election is called, you may obtain a blank “write-in” ballot. To vote, you must write the name of the candidate who you wish to vote for. Once nominations close, regular ballots are printed for the election, at which time you can then mark your choice normally.

Advance voting

You can vote in person at your designated advance polling station on the designated Advance Polling Day(s), between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. The first advance polling day is 9 days prior to the election, and the second is the Monday 7 days prior to the election. Advance polling stations will be listed here when available and on your Voter Information Card. 

By mail

To vote by mail, you must complete an Application for a Special Ballot. In order for your ballot to be counted, it must arrive at the local returning office no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day. To receive your Special ballot and vote by mail:

• 1. Complete the appropriate Application for a Special Ballot for the type of election underway. Downloadable forms for each type of election can be found on the Forms page.
• 2. As soon as the election begins, you can send your Application for a Special Ballot to your local returning office by:
  • A. Fax; or
  • B. Scanning (or high resolution) and email.
• 3. If your name is not on the List of Electors, the Special Voting Officers from the returning office will contact you. If this occurs, you will also need to complete a signed certification that you meet the qualifications to vote, and provide a photocopy or scan of one or more pieces of ID that between them show your name, address and signature (i.e. copy both sides of your driver’s license).
• 4. Once your application is approved and ballots are able to be sent, the Special Voting Officers from the returning office will prepare a Special Ballot Mail-In Voting Kit, and send it to your temporary address by courier. The kit includes your ballot, a secrecy envelope, a return envelope and detailed voting instructions.
• 5. Once you receive your Special Ballot Mail-In Voting Kit, mark the ballot and follow the instructions on how to send the sealed envelopes back. You are responsible for any costs to return your ballot to the local returning office, using your choice of mail or courier.

At home

Electors who will be unable to attend the ordinary or advance polls due to the illness or incapacity of the elector, or due to the illness or incapacity of a person for whose care the elector is primarily responsible, may contact their returning office and request that special voting officers visit their home. These visits must be scheduled in advance. While Elections NB makes every effort to assist each elector in this situation, it may be impossible to arrange for a visit on short notice or where the number of appointments is already at the day’s maximum. 

At a nursing home or special care home

Electors who are living at a nursing home, special care home, or other treatment centre may vote within the treatment centre, either at an “additional poll” if one is set up in the common area, or they may request a personal bedside ballot box visit from a special ballot team at a pre-arranged time.

Do I need to register to vote?

Yes! You do need to register in order to vote, however, you do not need to register in advance, meaning, you can register at the polling station on election day. 

Registering at the polls might mean spending a little more time waiting in line, so we recommend registering to vote in advance.

Do I need to bring ID to vote?

An elector is not required to show ID when voting in a New Brunswick provincial election. However, when you arrive at the polling station, you are required to state your name and address to the poll worker so that they can find your name on the List of Electors.

If you are a first time voter who needs to be added to the voter’s list, identification will be required. To get added to the voters list you must first meet the qualifications to vote and provide one or more pieces of ID that between them show your name, current address, and signature. (A New Brunswick driver’s license contains all three and is the ideal piece of identification).

Other options may include:

• lease agreements,utility bills,
• student IDs,
• other documentation that provides the above three requirements, or
• Having an eligible elector who is on the List of Electors at the polling station vouch for you, and swear an oath that you meet the qualifications to vote.

Can I work for Elections New Brunswick?

Yes! 

The returning officer for each electoral district is responsible for hiring all workers needed during an election for their district. Generally workers must be qualified to vote, but 16 and 17 year olds can work at some election jobs. An election officer cannot be a close relative (spouse, parent, child, or brother or sister) of any candidate or candidate’s spouse.

Returning officers get the names for potential workers from lists provided by the government party and opposition party in the province. They must ensure there is an equal balance of party representation in the polling stations.

If you wish to work during the election, call the office of the party of your choice to be put on their list. Or, after the election is called you can contact the returning offices directly and indicate your willingness to work.

I’m working on Election Day?

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

If your work schedule can’t accommodate you to take four consecutive hours off, your employer must provide extra time off. 

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 1:30 PM to 9:30 PM, you still have three hours before your shift begins to vote (10 AM to 1 PM).

Your boss can't dock your pay or penalize you for taking the time to vote. You 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!

I can’t make it to a polling station on Election Day?

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

You have four options: 

1: Vote by mail! In order for your ballot to be counted, it must arrive at the local returning office no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day. 

2: Vote at an advanced poll! Advance voting will be available 9 days prior to the election and  the Monday 7 days prior to the election, from 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.

3: Vote at home! You can contact your returning office and request that special voting officers visit your home if you are unable to attend the ordinary or advance polls due to the illness or other incapacity, or due to the illness or incapacity of a person for whose care you are primarily responsible. 

4: Vote in a nursing or care home! If you are living at a nursing home, special care home, or other treatment centre, you can vote within the treatment centre - either at an “additional poll” if one is set up in the common area, or request a personal bedside ballot box visit from a special ballot team at a pre-arranged time.

I’m a student living away from home?

Students who are ordinarily resident in one electoral district or region of New Brunswick but are attending a post-secondary institution elsewhere in the province, have the unique opportunity to have their name placed either on the voters list in their “home” electoral district or region and vote for a candidate in that district or region, or to have their name placed on the voters list for the electoral district or region where they are living while going to school.

If a student from another province declares that New Brunswick is now their home, or “ordinary residence”, and has lived in New Brunswick for at least 40 days, that person can apply to be put on the voters list and to vote.

I live in a remote or isolated area?

Vote by mail! In order for your ballot to be counted, it must arrive at the local returning office no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day. 

I’m living in an Indigenous community or reserve?

You can choose to vote by mail, or find your nearest polling station. Voting places are being confirmed and will be published here when available. 

I’m living abroad?

Temporarily working or studying outside of the province does not interrupt an individual’s status of being ordinarily resident and therefore they are still eligible to vote in New Brunswick elections. They can apply to the local returning office in the region where they normally live to request that a mail-in ballot be sent to them.

I recently moved?

You can vote in your new electoral district! Make sure to register your new address before Election Day by contacting Elections NB at 1-888-858-VOTE (8683) - or, at the polls you can provide one or more pieces of ID that between them show your name, current address, and signature.

I’m currently without a home?

To register to vote, you can use the address of a shelter, hostel, or similar support centre that provides food, lodging, or other social services. 

These support centres may provide additional polls to vote within the centre, or you can request a personal bedside ballot box visit from a special ballot team at a pre-arranged time.

If the above options aren’t available to you, you can have an eligible elector who is on the List of Electors at the polling station vouch for you, and swear an oath that you meet the qualifications to vote.

I'm not old enough to vote yet?

Although you might not be eligible to vote yet, 16 and 17 year olds can work at some election jobs! If you wish to work during the election, call the office of the party of your choice to be put on their list. Or, after the election is called you can contact the returning offices directly and indicate your willingness to work.

Is this information accessible in other formats?

Elections NB provides sign language videos answering commonly asked questions about voting:

• Accessibility overview
• Who is eligible to vote?
• Am I on the voters list? 
• How do I get added to the voters list?
• When and where do I vote?
• Do I need to bring anything with me when I go to vote?
• Does Elections NB provide interpreter services?
• How can I get more information about elections?

Are polling places accessible?

Elections NB strives to ensure that the buildings it uses during elections are accessible and can accommodate the needs of voters with various challenges. They provide various supports at our Returning Offices and at the polling stations to assist and accommodate electors with special requirements to vote independently.

Returning Offices and polling stations are set up so that an elector who uses a wheelchair, scooter, or a walker can easily navigate through the entire location.

Voting places are near bus routes whenever possible.

If your polling station or returning office does not offer the level access you require, you can:

• Request to vote using curbside voting. Polling officials will come to your vehicle with your ballot, a marker, and secrecy sleeve, as well as the ballot box for you to deposit your ballot.
• Request a Transfer Certificate, which will allow you to vote at another polling station in your electoral district that you are able to access.

A Braille ballot template, a Braille list of candidates, and a Braille instruction sheet are available at all voting places.

Elections NB provides the option to vote using a Braille tactile controller connected to the tabulation machine to conduct an audio vote session, which enables an elector with a disability to vote independently using either a Braille controller, paddles, or a sip and puff attachment. While wearing headphones the elector listens to voting instructions and makes their selection privately. If required, the election official will assist the elector in transferring the ballot from the printer to the tabulation machine. The service is only available at returning offices.

You can bring someone with you to help you vote. They must be 18 years of age or older. A poll worker may also assist you.

You can arrange for a sign language interpreter prior to going to a Returning Office or a polling station to vote. This service is done by appointment on the days of advance voting and Election Day. Please call Elections NB at 1-888-858-8683 for information on how to book an interpreter.

Pocket Talkers are designed for electors with hearing difficulties but who do not have a hearing aid. These amplifiers are portable and can be used in one-to-one interactions with our elections officials. Pocket Talkers are available at all Returning Offices, and the Special Voting Officers will have them at the additional polls.

Elections NB offers the option of using a large grip, scent-reduced marker to mark your ballot instead of a pencil or pen.

Ballots are printed on letter size paper. The candidates' names on the ballots are printed in a large font, and the lettering is white over a black background.

Elections NB will provide magnifying glasses at all polling stations. If you have your own magnifying glass, you are encouraged to bring it when you come to vote.