Backgrounders
Staggered Voting Hours
The hours of voting on election day at a general election, or when by-elections are held on the same day in more than one time zone, have been staggered so that the majority of results are available at approximately the same time across the country.
| Time zone | Polls open and close in local time |
|---|---|
| Newfoundland Time |
8:30 a.m. –
8:30 p.m. |
| Atlantic Time |
8:30 a.m. –
8:30 p.m. |
| Eastern Time |
9:30 a.m. –
9:30 p.m. |
| Central Time |
8:30 a.m. –
8:30 p.m. |
| Mountain Time |
7:30 a.m. –
7:30 p.m. |
| Pacific Time |
7:00 a.m. –
7:00 p.m. |
When a by-election takes place in a single electoral district, or when by-elections are held in more than one electoral district in the same time zone, voting hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
The Chief Electoral Officer may, if necessary, modify voting hours to coordinate the opening and closing times of polling stations in the various electoral districts of the same time zone. If an electoral district spans more than one time zone, the returning officer, with the prior approval of the Chief Electoral Officer, determines one local time for voting throughout the district, and publishes the hours in the Notice of Election.
For more information, please contact:
Elections Canada
257 Slater Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0M6
Telephone
1 800 463-6868
toll-free in Canada and the United States
001 800 514-6868
toll-free in Mexico
(613) 993-2975
from anywhere in the world
For people who are deaf or hard of hearing:
TTY 1 800 361-8935
toll-free in Canada and the United States
Fax
(613) 954-8584
1 888 524-1444
toll free in Canada and the United States
This publication is available in alternative formats.
June 2004