The criteria is pretty simple: you must be a Canadian citizen 18 or older and have ID
DURHAM — Voters across the country will go to the polls when Canadians cast their ballot for the next federal government in October.
The 43rd Canadian Parliament will be elected on Monday, Oct. 21, with the governing Liberal party, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, looking to keep their hold on the House of Commons from challengers Andrew Scheer of the Conservative party and the NDP with Jagmeet Singh at the helm. The Green party under Elizabeth May is seeking official party status. Voters will also have a new party to choose from in 2019, with Maxime Bernier leading the People’s Party of Canada.
The criteria for voting in the 2019 federal election is pretty simple: to register and vote in a federal election, you must be a Canadian citizen aged 18 or older on election day and provide accepted proof of identity and address.
Elections Canada takes many steps to keep voter registration information for millions of Canadians accurate and up-to-date, as well as to safeguard the integrity of voter registrations. Voter registration information is managed using the National Register of Electors — a permanent database of Canadians who are eligible to vote in federal elections, byelections and referendums.
The register is continually updated through a range of sources, including the Canada Revenue Agency; Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (new citizens); provincial and territorial driver’s licence and vital statistics agencies; and information supplied by electors when they register to vote or update their registration.
Elections Canada mails voter registration notification letters to people who may be eligible to vote, but who are not registered. Those letters are mailed a few times a year, mostly outside election periods, to invite people to register.
About three weeks before election day, Elections Canada mails personalized voter information cards to registered electors. The card tells them that they are registered to vote. It also tells them when and where to vote, the different ways they can vote, and how to get more information.
Voter turnout for the 2015 federal election was the highest since 1993 (69.6 per cent), with 68.3 per cent of eligible Canadians (17,711,983 of 25,939,742) casting a ballot. A record-low 58.8 per cent of eligible Canadians voted in 2008, but that figure climbed to 61.1 per cent in 2011. Dismal turnouts were also recorded in 2004 (60.9 per cent) and 2000 (61.2 per cent).
The highest recorded turnout for a federal election was in March 1954 when 79.4 per cent of Canadians (7,357,139 of 9,131,200) cast a ballot in the election, increasing incumbent Prime Minister John Diefenbaker’s minority into a majority.
The first Canadian general election was held from Aug. 7 to Sept. 20, 1867, resulting in a 73.1 per cent turnout (268,387 ballots cast by 361,028 eligible voters).
For more information on how to vote, visit www.elections.ca.
Source: durhamregion.com/
