and remember, as always, YOU DON'T NEED TO BE REGISTERED IN ADVANCE TO VOTE!
If you didn't get a voter card in the mail, and you didn't go online to register, you can still vote. You will need to register at the polling place the day of the election (or at a polling place during the advance voting period, which is April 18-21st, 2025).
If you are not registered, and you don't know where your polling place is, you can find it here: Elections Canada Voter Information Service
You will need to provide identification to register, and you have three options:
One piece of government-issued ID*, with your name, address and photo
Two pieces of authorized ID*, both must have your name, and at least one must have your address.
If you have no ID, you can write down your name and address**, and bring someone to vouch for you. The person must be registered to vote, and they must have the same polling place as you. Every registered voter can vouch for one person.
*You can find all of the acceptable identification options, as well as more information about each of the three options above, here: ID to vote
**If you do not have a permanent address, you can use the address of where you have eaten/slept most often for the past 6 weeks as your address
You can also vote early at an Elections Canada office, anytime between now and April 22nd, via the special ballot process. You may also vote by mail, by requesting a special ballot before April 22nd. There is more information about the special ballot process here, and you can find your nearest Elections Canada location here. They are open 7 days a week, 9am to 9pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm Saturdays and 12pm-4pm Sundays.
If you apply for a special ballot, you MUST vote by special ballot. Once you have requested one, you can't change your mind, and you will not be allowed to vote in person on election day or at an advance polling station.
Other useful information:
If you have to work on election day, and you do not have three consecutive hours off during the election hours (9am to 9om), your job is legally required to give you time off to vote if you request it. For example, if you work 11am to 7pm, you don't have three consecutive hours off between 9am and 9pm, so your employer is legally required to allow you time off to vote, if you request it. Your employer gets to decide WHEN the time off happens during the day.
If you don't have a way to get to your polling place, you can contact the campaign office of ANY candidate running in your riding and tell them you need a ride, and they will provide a ride for you
You cannot be asked to remove face coverings to prove your identity.
All Canadian federal elections are done by paper ballot. The polling place is required to provide you with a pencil, but they also cannot prevent you from using your own pen or pencil if you bring one with you.
If the polling place is busy when you get there, as long as you are in line to vote before 9pm, you are allowed to vote, even if the polls close before you get in (ie, if you get in line at 8:55pm and you get inside at 9:15pm, you still get to vote. If you show up at 9:15pm, you will not be allowed to vote. You have to be in line before the polls close.) By law, the polling places need to be set up to be as quick and efficient as possible, so they have to do everything in their power to prevent people waiting in long lines, but they also can't predict if a whole bunch of people happen to show up right at the end of the day, so if you are in that situation, make sure you don't get out of the line.
You may bring a mobile device into the polling place to show ID. If you need a mobile device for accessibility reasons (such as visual impairment), that is also allowed. You can't take photos (unless it's required for accessibility reasons, in which case you can take a photo, but you have to delete it immediately after), and you can't take video or use a device in a disruptive way.
It is illegal to take and share photos of your marked ballot, for your own safety as well as election integrity. If photos of ballots were allowed, they could be used to force people to vote certain ways (ie, if someone were to threaten you to vote a certain way, and were able to demand proof that you did so)
It is very rare that a polling station will be moved after voter cards have been mailed out (unless there's an emergency, like the building burned down). Elections Canada does not call, email or text if a polling station is moved, so if you receive a call, email or text saying it has, it's fake. If a polling station is moved, they will mail out new voter cards (if time allows), update it on their website, announce it on local news stations, and they will also have an election officer at the original polling place, to inform people who show up there of where the new polling place is.
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