Voters looking to cast their ballot in advance polls are running out of time. Today is the last day for advance polls. They are open until 9 p.m.
The window to vote by special ballot closes at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, September 14.
- Electors who cannot or prefer not to vote in person at advance polls or on election day, should hurry and go vote at their nearest Elections Canada office as soon as possible.
- hey can also apply to vote by mail but they must act now. We’ll mail them a voting kit as soon as we can, but they’ll have to return their marked ballot to us by election day. Time is of essence!
- Electors who prefer not to wear a mask, who cannot wear a mask, who have or suspect they have Covid-19 or have been in contact with someone that has the virus, should vote by mail.
- They can trust the vote-by-mail system. There many safeguards built in to make voting secret and secure. It has also been widely available to Canadians since 1993.
Timeline – What happens when you vote by mail:
Electors must first upload a proof of identity and address in our system. We’ll review their application and check their ID documents before we give them a ballot, just like when they vote at the polls.
- Once their application is accepted – it can take up to 72 hours – we’ll mail them a voting kit. The kit will include a special ballot, a plain inner envelope, an outer envelope, and a mailing envelope with prepaid postage to return their marked ballot.
- Before mailing their marked ballot back to us, electors need to consider the time left. We must receive their ballot by election day or it will not be counted. Specific deadlines are in their kit.
- If there is enough time, they can simply drop the envelopes containing their marked ballot in a Canada Post mail box. They can also visit a Canada Post outlet to make sure the regular postal service will deliver their ballot on time.
- However, if time is running short, they should consider using an expedited parcel service (at their cost). They can also drop-off their marked ballot at their Elections Canada office, or at their assigned poll on election day, or ask someone they trust to do it for them.
View frequently asked questions on vote by mail are here
Safeguards – Voting by mail is secret and secure, here’s why:
- We carefully check every application and ID documents before we mail a voting kit.
- Once electors have applied to vote by mail, they can’t change their mind and vote in person at advance polls or on election day. Their name is crossed off the elector’s list.
- The plain unmarked inner envelope into which electors insert their marked ballot will protect the secrecy of their vote during the verification process at Elections Canada.
- Before returning their voting kit, electors must sign a declaration printed on the outer envelope. Only Canadian citizens aged 18 years or older can vote, and each elector can vote only once.
- Each special ballot mailed out to electors has a unique identifier number that can only be used once. When your ballot is returned to Elections Canada, an election officer checks that the unique identifier on the outer envelope corresponds to your approved application.
- Election officers also check that the electors’ name and the electoral district code on the outer envelope match those on the application form, they signed the declaration on the outer envelope and they returned only one ballot
- Special ballots are counted by hand, just like regular ballots are. Candidates, representatives or other designated observers are allowed to watch the counting of the votes. Learn more about how ballots are counted.
Learn more about vote-by-mail security features and safeguards