Step 1 of 6 · Before you go
Find your station
Your voter information card gives your polling station and its hours. You can vote without the card; you just need your ID.
How to vote · comment voter
Every citizen
has the right to vote.
Section 3 of the Charter: "Every citizen of Canada has the right to vote in an election of members of the House of
Commons or of a legislative assembly", Tout citoyen canadien a le droit de vote
. In a federal
election you need to be a Canadian citizen aged 18 or over on polling day (Canada Elections Act s.3), and to prove
who you are and where you live.
Voting on December 7, 2026? Only electors living in the six ridings with a by-election vote: advance polls November 27 to November 30, special ballot applications by December 1 at 6 pm.
Elections Canada's own services
Check before
you go.
- Am I registered? Check, update or complete your registration in Elections Canada's own Online Voter Registration Service. This site never asks for your details. ereg.elections.ca ↗
- Where do I vote? Your voter information card says where; or enter your postal code on elections.ca to find your polling station and local Elections Canada office. Voter information card ↗
- Which ID is accepted? The Chief Electoral Officer's list of accepted identification, from a driver's licence to a utility bill. List of accepted ID ↗
- Accessibility Accessible polling places, tools at the polls and help to vote at home. Accessible voting ↗
Who can vote
Citizens, 18,
wherever they live.
Citizens aged 18 or over
Every Canadian citizen who is 18 on polling day is qualified (s.3). That includes people in prison, who vote by special ballot (Part 11, Division 5): the Supreme Court struck down their exclusion in Sauvé v. Canada (2002). Permanent residents cannot vote federally.
Registered, or registering
Most electors are already in the National Register of Electors and get a voter information card in the mail once the election is called. You can check or update your registration online, at your local Elections Canada office, or register at the polls on the day with proof of identity and address (s.161).
Living abroad
Citizens living outside Canada can register on the International Register of Electors and vote by special ballot in the riding of their last Canadian address, however long they have been away. The old five-year limit was ruled unconstitutional in Frank v. Canada (Attorney General), 2019 SCC 1, after Parliament had already voted to repeal it (S.C. 2018, c. 31). Applications must reach Ottawa by 6 pm on the 6th day before polling day (s.221).
Proving who you are · s.143
Three ways
to prove it.
- 1 One piece of government photo ID
Issued by a federal, provincial or local government or agency, with your photo, name and address, such as a driver's licence (s.143(2)(a)).
- 2 Two pieces from the accepted list
Both with your name, at least one with your address: for example a health card and a utility bill, a bank statement or the voter information card itself (s.143(2)(b)). The Chief Electoral Officer publishes the list each year and within three days of the writ (s.143(7)).
- 3 A declaration and someone who vouches
No ID? Make a written solemn declaration of identity and address, with an elector from the same polling station who proves their own identity and address and vouches for you in writing (s.143(3)). In a seniors' or disability residence, an employee may vouch (s.143(3.01)).
The Fair Elections Act of 2014 barred the voter information card as ID and replaced vouching with a narrower attestation; the Elections Modernization Act of 2018 restored both.
Ways to vote · s.127
Four ways
to cast it.
- Polling day · s.128, s.132 At your polling station On polling day, at the station on your voter information card. Employers must give you three consecutive hours to vote during voting hours (s.132).
- Advance polls · s.171(2) Friday to Monday, a week before On the 10th, 9th, 8th and 7th days before polling day, from 9 am to 9 pm, at your advance polling station.
- Special ballot · Part 11 At any Elections Canada office From the day the writ is issued, at the local Elections Canada office, or at any of them across the country in a general election. You write your candidate's name on the ballot.
- By mail · s.232 Apply, then post it back Apply by 6 pm on the Tuesday, the 6th day before polling day; the ballot must be back before polls close. Allow time for the mail.
Polling day
From the door to the count
Six steps at a federal polling station.
Step 2 of 6 · At the table
Show your ID
Give your name and address and prove who you are and where you live, in one of the three ways the Act allows. If you are not on the list, you can register on the spot (s.161).
Step 3 of 6 · From the election officer
Take your ballot
The officer initials the back and hands you the ballot folded, with its counterfoil attached.
Step 4 of 6 · Behind the screen
Mark one circle
A cross or any other mark in the circle beside one name. If you make a mistake, hand it back unopened: it is marked spoiled and you get one new ballot (s.152).
Step 5 of 6 · Back at the table
Fold and deposit
The officer checks the initials, removes the counterfoil in front of you, and you (or the officer) put the ballot in the box (s.151(2)).
Step 6 of 6 · When polls close
The count
Officers count every ballot at the station in front of candidates' representatives. Blank and doubly marked ballots are set aside as rejected (s.284).
First past the post · scrutin majoritaire uninominal
Try the
ballot.
The federal ballot lists the candidates in your riding, each with a circle to the right. Mark one circle. Try two, or none, or sign it, and see what the deputy returning officer would do with it at the count.
Practice ballot · bulletin d'essai · not a real election
- BEAULIEU Annie Party A
- CHEN David Party B
- KAKFWI Rose Independent
- MACDONALD Ian Party C
- TREMBLAY Luc Party D
s.284(1)(b)
Rejected
It is blank: no circle is marked. Blank ballots are counted as rejected.
You may spoil one ballot and get a new one (s.152).
Accessibility
Help is
part of the law.
- s.154 An election officer helps If you cannot read or your disability stops you marking the ballot, an officer helps you, with a second officer present; a template for visually impaired electors is available on request.
- s.155 A friend or relative helps A friend, spouse or relative can go into the voting compartment with you, after a solemn declaration.
- s.159 Another polling station If your polling station is not accessible to you, ask for a transfer certificate to vote at one that is.
- s.243.1 At home If a disability keeps you from the returning officer's office, an election officer can come to your home and help you vote by special ballot.
Provincial elections are different
Thirteen
other rulebooks.
Provinces and territories run their own elections, with their own lists, ID rules, hours and agencies. In Quebec, Élections Québec (le Directeur général des élections) runs the vote under the Loi électorale: polls are open 9:30 am to 8 pm (art. 333), election advertising is banned for all of polling day (art. 429.1), and there is no ban on publishing polls. Federal registration and ID do not carry over automatically: check with the provincial agency.