Voting-rights profile
Canada
Americas · ca
Federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy. Members of the House of Commons are elected from single-member districts by first-past-the-post voting; Elections Canada administers federal elections independently of government.
Profile last reviewed July 26, 2026
Canada's federal election system combines a permanent national register with registration and correction opportunities during an election. Votes are cast on paper at election-day polls, advance polls, Elections Canada offices or by special ballot, then counted locally under statutory controls.
How voting works today
- Voting age
- 18 and over
- Voter registration
- Mixed
- Identification
- Any identity document
- Compulsory voting
- No
- Postal voting
- Available to all
- Early voting
- Available to all
- Online voting
- Not available
- Voting from abroad
- Available to all
Canadian citizens aged 18 or older may register through the National Register of Electors or during an election and must prove identity and address. Any elector may apply for a special ballot, including by mail, and eligible citizens abroad may register for the international register.
How the franchise changed
Every entry records a change in who could vote, or how — expansions, restrictions and procedural reforms alike.
- 1960Expansion
Legislation removed the federal rule that required First Nations people with status to give up that status in order to vote.
A History of the Vote in Canada
Safeguards on the count
- Ballot type
- Paper ballots
- Post-election audit
- Ad hoc
- Election administration
- Independent commission
- Domestic observers
- Yes
Paper ballots are counted in the presence of election officers and candidate representatives. Statutory judicial recounts apply in defined close-result circumstances, while candidates or electors may request other recounts from a judge.
Worth knowing
- The 2019 and 2021 elections returned Liberal minority governments. The Foreign Interference Commission later found both elections were subject to foreign interference but that the voting system remained robust and the party forming government was not changed.Final Report, Volume 1: Report Summary
Elections in the database
Elections
2Influence Operations
1People
- Party leaderAndrew ScheerLeader of the Conservative Party of Canada, 2017–2020
- Party leaderErin O'TooleLeader of the Conservative Party of Canada, 2020–2022
- Head of governmentJustin TrudeauPrime Minister of Canada, 2015–2025
- CandidateKenny ChiuMember of Parliament for Steveston—Richmond East, 2019–2021
Sources
- Ways to vote— Elections Canada
- A History of the Vote in Canada— Elections Canada
- Final Report, Volume 1— Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions