Backgrounders

Elections Canada: General Information: Backgrounders

Voting in a federal election In a federal election we choose members of Parliament (MPs) to represent us in Ottawa. You can vote if you are a Canadian citizen, and if you are at least 18 years old on election day. Make sure you are on the voters list Elections Canada is mailing a voter information card to everyone on the voters list. When you receive your voter information card, please read it carefully and make sure that your name and address are correct. If the name and address on the voter information card are correct, keep the card. It shows that you are registered to vote, and tells you when and where to vote. If the name or address on the card are not correct, you will need to call Elections Canada. The telephone number of your local Elections Canada office is on the back of your voter information card. If you have not received your voter information card,call Elections Canada at 1 800 463-6868. They will tell you how to register to vote. There are three ways you can vote: 1. You can vote on election day If you have a voter information card with your correct name and address, take it with you when you go to vote. If you don't have a voter information card, and you didn't register earlier, you can still register to vote at the polling station on election day. You will have to bring proper identification. This can be either: a document with your name, current address and signature (like a driver's licence), or two documents: one with your name and signature (like a health card), and the other with your name and current address (like a phone bill or a hydro bill) 2. You can vote at an advance poll If you don't wish to vote on election day, you can vote earlier at an advance poll. The voter information card tells you the dates and address. Remember to bring either your voter information card with your correct name and address, or proper identification. 3. You can vote by special ballot If you don't wish to vote on election day or at the advance polls, you can vote by special ballot. You can get a special ballot registration form from your local Elections Canada office, from the Elections Canada Web site or by phoning Elections Canada. If you want to vote by special ballot, apply for it soon. Make sure you will have enough time to send your completed ballot back by mail, or to bring it to the local Elections Canada office by election day. Once you apply for a special ballot, you can only vote by special ballot, and not at the advance polls or at the polling station on election day. For more information, contact Elections Canada Telephone: 1 800 463-6868 (toll-free in Canada or the United States) TTY: 1 800 361-8935, for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing Mail: 257 Slater Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0M6 Fax: 1 888 524-1444 Web site: www.elections.ca Are you ready to vote? It's your future! Glossary of election terms advance poll   a poll is a voting place – advance polls are held so that people who don't wish to vote on election day can vote ahead of time       ballot   the paper you mark your vote on       candidate   a person who is running in an election for a seat in Parliament       Elections Canada   is an independent body set up by Parliament       electoral district   sometimes called a riding or constituency – an area represented in Parliament by one elected politician       National Register of Electors   Elections Canada has a computerized list of electors that it keeps up to date by using information from other government files (such as driver's licence files). People who have recently moved or turned 18 may need to contact Elections Canada to make sure they are on the voters list for an election.       poll, polling station   the place where you vote (the address depends on where you live)       registering to vote   getting your name on the voters list, at the right address       returning officer   the person in each electoral district who is responsible for organizing the voting and making sure it is fair       voter   sometimes called an elector – a person who is qualified to vote (in Canada, this means a Canadian citizen who is 18 years of age or older)       voter information card   a card with your name and address. It shows that you are on the voters list and tells you where and when you can vote.       voters list   a list of all qualified voters in an electoral district Elections Canada information is also available in other forms, such as audio-cassette, Braille and several other languages.