elections.ca Apply to Vote by Mail : Canada

Organisation : Elections Canada
Facility : Apply to Vote by Mail
Country : Canada
Applicable For : Canadians Living Abroad

Apply Here : http://elections.ca/content.aspx?section=vot&dir=reg/svr&document=page-b&lang=e
Details : http://elections.ca/content.aspx?section=vot&dir=reg/svr&document=index&lang=e
Home page : http://www.elections.ca/home.aspx

Elections Canada Vote by Mail

Eligible electors can apply to vote by special ballot. With a special ballot, you can vote by mail from anywhere in the world.

Related / Similar Facility : Elections Canada Ways to Vote

If you live in Canada, you may apply once an election is under way.
If you live abroad, you may apply anytime

If your application is accepted :
** We will send you a confirmation letter.
** We will add your name to the International Register of Electors, the list of Canadian electors living outside Canada who are eligible to vote by mail.
** At each election in which you are qualified to vote, we will automatically mail a special ballot voting kit to the address you provided.
** Your name will stay on the International Register of Electors as long as you remain eligible.
** You will not have to re-apply to vote by mail at each election.

Registration and Voting Process

Registration and Voting Processes for Canadians Who Live Abroad :
The information below relates to electors whose home is outside Canada. There are other registration and voting processes for electors whose home is in Canada and who happen to travel abroad. There is also a separate registration and voting process for Canadian Forces electors.

Registration in the International Register of Electors :
As set out in the Special Voting Rules of the Canada Elections Act, Elections Canada maintains the International Register of Electors, a database containing the names of Canadian electors living outside Canada.

To be included in the International Register of Electors, an elector whose home is abroad must :
** be qualified to vote (i.e. a Canadian citizen at least 18 years old on election day)
** have resided in Canada at any time before applying
** confirm that they intend to return to Canada to reside by providing the date on which they intend to resume residence in Canada, and

confirm that they have resided abroad for less than five consecutive years, or provide proof that they fall within one of these exceptions to the five-year rule:
** They are employed outside Canada in the federal public administration or the public service of a province – or live with someone who is;

** They are employed outside Canada by an international organization of which Canada is a member and to which Canada contributes – or live with someone who is; or

** They live with a member of the Canadian Forces or with a person who is employed outside Canada by the Canadian Forces as a teacher in, or as a member of the administrative support staff for, a Canadian Forces school.

Qualified electors may apply at any time to be added to the International Register. They must submit a completed Application for Registration and Special Ballot for Canadian Citizens Residing Outside Canada and provide copies of supporting documents that prove their identity.

The special ballot application form is available online, at any Canadian embassy, high commission or consulate or by calling Elections Canada. Completed applications and copies of supporting documents should be mailed or faxed to Elections Canada in Ottawa.

The application form explains how electors can determine their address for voting purposes – this is the address in Canada that determines the electoral district for which the elector’s vote will be counted.

Once an elector’s name is added to the International Register of Electors, their address for voting purposes cannot be changed until they acquire a new home in Canada.

Once an elector’s application has been approved, we add their name to the International Register of Electors. Outside election periods, we send the elector a letter informing them that their name has been added. During elections, we simply send the elector a special ballot voting kit.