How do you register to vote?

Most Canadians are automatically registered to vote in federal elections through the National Register of Electors, a permanent voter list maintained by Elections Canada. The Register is updated continuously from various federal and provincial sources, including the Canada Revenue Agency (when Canadians file income-tax returns and check the box authorising the CRA to share information with Elections Canada), provincial drivers-licence agencies, vital-statistics offices (for new citizens, deaths, and address changes), and Citizenship and Immigration Canada (for new Canadian citizens). About 27 million Canadians are registered as of 2025, covering about 96 per cent of eligible voters.

Canadians who are not yet registered, or who need to update their information, can register in several ways. Online registration through the Online Voter Registration Service at elections.ca is the easiest option. Voters can also register by mail using forms available from Elections Canada, by telephone with the Elections Canada call centre during the election period, in person at any local Elections Canada office, or at the polling station on Election Day or during advance voting.

When an election is called, Elections Canada mails Voter Information Cards to all registered voters, listing the voter's polling location and election dates. The card itself is not an ID and cannot be used to vote alone, but it speeds processing at the polls. Voters who do not receive a card may still vote, with appropriate identification. Voters can confirm their registration online or call Elections Canada (1-800-463-6868).

Registering young voters has been a long-standing concern. Bill C-76 of 2018 created a Future Electors Register: 14- to 17-year-old Canadians can pre-register so they are automatically added to the National Register of Electors when they turn 18. The Vote on Campus programme provides advance polling stations at about 130 universities and colleges across Canada. Elections Canada also runs Indigenous and Northern Communities Programmes for outreach in remote communities, accessibility programmes for voters with disabilities, and services for voters living abroad (Frank v. Canada, 2019, removed the previous five-year residency cap on the abroad vote).