During federal elections and referendums, Canadian Forces electors can vote, by mail or at polling stations set up in their units, using a special ballot. This method of voting is governed by the Special Voting Rules, Part 11 of the Canada Elections Act.

These electors may also vote at civilian polling stations in the ridings where they are registered, provided they are residing there at the time of an electoral event.

Canadian Forces electors are Canadians who have reached the age of 18 and are members of the Canadian Forces or teachers or administrative support staff in Canadian Forces schools away from Canada. They can vote by special ballot in any election or referendum.

People living with members of the Canadian Forces outside the country are not considered to be Canadian Forces electors, but may vote as Canadians residing temporarily outside the country.

Registration

The Department of National Defence keeps a permanent register of Canadian Forces electors. When enrolling, the elector completes a Statement of Ordinary Residence (SOR) that determines the riding for which his or her vote will be counted.

Manner of voting

Canadian Forces electors vote by special ballot, unless they choose to vote at polling stations in their own ridings. During a general election or referendum, instructions for voting are posted at the polling station in each unit and a deputy returning officer is on hand to issue voting materials. Each polling station has a complete list of candidates. During by-elections, Elections Canada sends a personalized voting kit to every elector registered in the riding where the by-election is taking place.

To vote, the elector must first complete and sign the declaration on the outer envelope that forms part of the voting kit. The declaration states that his or her name is as shown on the envelope and that he or she has not already voted in the election or referendum underway. The elector then completes the ballot by writing on it the name of one of the candidates in his or her riding – or, in the case of a referendum, by checking either "yes" or "no" – and then inserting the ballot in the series of envelopes in accordance with the instructions provided.

Finally, the elector is responsible for ensuring that Elections Canada in Ottawa receives the ballot not later than 6:00 p.m., Ottawa time, on polling day. Electors may mail their ballots themselves or, in most cases, during a general election or referendum, leave them with the deputy returning officer to forward by special arrangement. The ballot must be sent in the envelopes provided. A ballot received by any other means, including fax, will not be counted. The Act also prohibits counting ballots received after the deadline.

Instead of voting by special ballot, a Canadian Forces elector who is residing in the riding listed on his or her SOR may vote at a civilian polling station in that riding, provided he or she has not already voted and continues to reside in the same riding until polling day.

RESULTS OF VOTING BY SPECIAL BALLOT

Counting the votes

The ballots of Canadian Forces electors are counted at the same time as those of Canadian citizens residing temporarily outside the country, Canadian residents absent from their ridings and incarcerated electors serving a sentence of less than two years. Only those ballots are counted that arrive at Elections Canada in Ottawa before 6:00 p.m., Ottawa time, on polling day. Special ballot officers appointed on the recommendation of the political parties sort the outer envelopes by riding. The outer envelopes are checked to make sure they have been completed properly. The bar code stickers are read electronically to ensure that the ballot comes from a registered voter and that no other ballot has already been received from that elector. The outer envelopes are then opened by the special ballot officers, who take out the unmarked inner envelopes containing the ballots. Still sealed, these envelopes are all mixed together in a ballot box with other ballots for the same riding. The ballot box is then opened and the ballots are taken out of the inner envelopes and tallied. This system guarantees the secrecy of each vote.

The counting of special ballots actually begins on the fifth day before polling day or on a date set by the Chief Electoral Officer. Working in teams of two, each representing a different political party, the special ballots officers count the ballots riding by riding.

The ballots of Canadian residents voting in their ridings are counted in the office of the returning officer, on polling night, by a deputy returning officer and poll clerk appointed by the returning officer.

Communicating the results

As soon as the special ballots are counted at Elections Canada in Ottawa, the Special Voting Rules Administrator informs the Chief Electoral Officer of the results of the special ballot vote for each riding. The Chief Electoral Officer adds the results, for each riding, of the special ballot votes of Canadian Forces electors, Canadian citizens residing temporarily outside the country and incarcerated electors serving a sentence of less than two years; these three categories are designated group 1.

Each returning officer is informed of the total group 1 result for his or her riding by memorandum after the polls close on polling day. The results of voting by Canadian residents absent from their ridings are communicated separately to the returning officers concerned. The returning officers add this result to the result for Canadian residents voting in their own ridings and report it as group 2.

The results of the two groups are reported separately on polling night. All the results of the special ballot votes are then added to the total results for the riding.

For more information, please contact:

Elections Canada
257 Slater Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0M6

Telephone

1 800 463-6868
toll-free in Canada and the United States

001 800 514-6868
toll-free in Mexico

(613) 993-2975
from anywhere in the world

For people who are deaf or hard of hearing:
TTY 1 800 361-8935
toll-free in Canada and the United States

Fax

(613) 954-8584
1 888 524-1444
toll free in Canada and the United States