Voting in Elections

One of the privileges of Canadian citizenship is the right to vote.

You are eligible to vote in a federal election or cast a ballot in a federal referendum if you are:

• a Canadian citizen; and
• at least 18 years old on voting day; and
• on the voters' list.

The voters' lists used during federal elections and referendums are produced from the National Register of Electors by a neutral agency of Parliament called Elections Canada. This is a permanent database of Canadian citizens 18 years of age and older who are qualified to vote in federal elections and referendums.

When you apply for citizenship, you can check a box on the application form to show you consent to the transfer of your name, address, sex and date of birth to Elections Canada.

Eligible Canadians are also able to indicate their consent to being added to the National Register of Electors on their federal income tax form.

Once an election has been called, Elections Canada mails a voter information card to each elector whose name is in the National Register of Electors. The card lists when and where you vote and the number to call if you require an interpreter or other special services.

Even if you choose not to be listed in the National Register of Electors or do not receive a voter information card, you can still be added to the voters' list until election day.

To vote either on election day or at advance polls, go to the polling station listed on your voter information card. See page 32 for voting procedures.

SECRET BALLOT

Canadian law secures the right to a secret ballot. This means that no one can watch you vote and no one should look at how you voted. You may choose to discuss how you voted with others, but no one, including family members, your employer or union representative, has the right to insist that you tell them how you voted. Immediately after the polling stations close, election officers count the ballots, and the results are announced on radio and television and in the newspapers.