Cast your ballot: All you need to know about voting today

Posted: 1:00 AM CDT Monday, May. 2, 2011

What day is election day?

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/05/2011 (5328 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

What day is election day?

Today, May 2. There were three advanced polling days, but they are done.

When are polls open?

Graham Hughes / The Canadian Press
A woman arrives to cast her vote in Canada's federal election in Montreal, Monday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ — Graham Hughes / The Canadian Press A woman arrives to cast her vote in Canada's federal election in Montreal, Monday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/

Polls open at 8:30 a.m. and close at 8:30 p.m.

Who can vote?

All Canadian citizens who are at least 18 years old on election day are eligible to vote. There are more than 23.9 million Canadians registered on the preliminary lists of electors.

What do I need to take to vote?

If you received a voter information card in the mail, you are already registered to vote at a polling place and can go there with the card. But you still need to prove your identity and your address to vote.

If you are not registered and didn’t get a voter information card, you can still vote, but you have to prove your identity and address. You can do this by showing a Manitoba driver’s licence. If you don’t have a driver’s licence, you need to show two pieces of authorized information with your name on it and one also has to have your address. And even without that, you can still vote if someone who knows you, is in the same polling division as you, and has authorized identification, is willing to go with you and take an oath at the poll.

How do I find my polling station?

It’s on the voter information card, but if you don’t have a card, go to the Elections Canada website, at www.elections.ca or phone 1-800-463-6868.

Source: Elections Canada