New voting rules for electors living outside of Canada

There are new voting rules for Canadians living outside of Canada.

Under old rules, Canadians who had lived outside of Canada for more than five years were not allowed to vote.

For the 2019 federal election, any eligible Canadian elector who lives abroad may vote, regardless of when they last lived in Canada.

To vote, electors living abroad must be registered on the International Register of Electors. To do so, they must provide documents that establish their citizenship such as a copy of pages two and three of their Canadian passport, their Canadian citizenship certificate or card, or their birth certificate, showing that they were born in Canada.

Those who are not registered can apply online or print off an application form and send it to Elections Canada by mail or fax. They may also contact us to be mailed a print copy of the form. Those who are not sure if they are registered can call Elections Canada to check.

Elections Canada must receive completed registration applications by Tuesday, October 15 at 6:00 p.m., Eastern time.

It is important for electors living abroad to plan ahead. It takes time for application forms to be mailed to Elections Canada and processed, and for voting kits to be mailed back to electors at the international address they provided.

Marked ballots must arrive at Elections Canada in Ottawa no later than 6:00 p.m. (Eastern time) on October 21, 2019. Electors should consider the time it will take for their marked ballot to reach Elections Canada.

Votes cast by Canadians living abroad count in the electoral district where they last lived before leaving Canada.

Elections Canada is an independent, non-partisan agency that reports directly to Parliament. More information is available at elections.ca.