Canadians will head to the polls on April 28, and while many will cast a ballot that day, there are other options, including earlier voting.
The election was called on March 23, and the first thing Canadians who plan to vote should do is check to see if they’re registered to do so.
Most Canadian citizens 18 years and older are eligible to vote and, according to Elections Canada, are already in the National Register of Electors.
But if you want to make sure that you get a voter information card in the mail, you can check the online voter registration service, call 1-800-463-6868 or visit an Elections Canada office near you.
Just make sure to have an accepted form of identification and address to do so.
If you’re not registered but are eligible to vote, you can register online or at one of the offices. However, Elections Canada also makes it easy to register when you go to your polling station to vote.
You’ll get your voter information card by April 11 if registered, but you can contact the agency online or by phone if you haven’t received it by this time.
“The easiest and best way for people to find out where, how and when they can vote is to visit our website,” a spokesperson for Elections Canada said.
“Our webpage has all of our important dates, the different ways electors can cast their vote, what they will need to vote and where they should go.”
Aside from election day, there are other options to cast your ballot, all of which apply as long as you’re a Canadian citizen who will turn 18 by April 28.
Advanced polls take place on April 18 until 21 — Easter weekend, for those who celebrate — and will be open from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. local time.
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Locations can be found on your voter card or by searching on Elections Canada’s website.
You can also vote early at an Elections Canada office anywhere in the country by 6 p.m. local time on April 22.
The last option is voting by mail, a method the agency says may appeal to a student away from their home riding, those who live abroad, or if you won’t be in your riding for advanced polling on election day, but don’t want to vote at an Elections Canada office.
However, Canadians who want to vote by mail are urged to apply before April 22 to make sure there’s time to get your voting kit, fill out the name of the candidate and mail it back in the prepaid envelope, which has to be received by 6 p.m. Eastern on April 28 if addressed to Ottawa’s office or by the time polls close if addressed to your local office. If you’re concerned your ballot may not make it in time to Elections Canada, you can also drop it off at a local office any time during the election until polls close on election day.
Members of the Canadian Forces can also use any of these voting methods, or by special ballot at a military polling station with the agency noting April 14 until 19 for this method.
If you do decide to vote before election day, be aware candidates will continue to be confirmed until April 7 so you may want to wait for all candidates in your riding to be confirmed so you can make an informed choice.
Once election day comes, the votes will be counted in person.
“On polling day, paid election workers count votes in front of candidates, their representatives and other designated observers,” said a spokesperson for Elections Canada.
“Automatic ballot-counting machines have been successfully and securely used by election agencies in other jurisdictions, but Elections Canada does not use them.”
Ballots cast at the polls on election day are counted at those stations when polls closed, while advance polls, special ballots cast in a person’s riding — like those who voted at an agency office, or mail-in ballots dropped off — will be counted at that office.
Those mail-in special ballots cast outside a riding, such as those abroad or students away from their riding, as well as votes cast by Canadian Armed Forces members and incarcerated Canadians have their votes counted at Elections Canada’s Ottawa facility.
These ballots can also begin to be counted before Election Day if the volume of votes justify it, the agency says, but won’t be shared until polls are closed.
Once all ballots are counted, returning officers validate the results that were counted on election day typically in the first two to three days afterwards, with final results posted online.
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