Monday, September 20, Canadians will head to polling stations to cast their ballot in the 2021 Federal Election.
The Vote On Campus program, previously offered in 2015 and 2019 for students, will not be available for this election. The deadline for voting by mail has passed, as well as the dates for advanced polling.
“As of now, the only option to vote is on election day, so students will have to vote in the riding where their university is located,” said Françoise Euguehard, Regional Media Advisor in the Atlantic Provinces for Elections Canada. “What they can do is they can go and check using a postal code of where they reside. They will find where their polling location and where their polling station is, within that polling location.”
To be eligible to vote, you must be at least 18 years old on election day, have Canadian citizenship, and be able to prove your identity and address. More information on what pieces of ID and proof of residence qualify can be found in the ‘ID to vote’ section at the Elections Canada website, elections.ca. On the website, you will also be able to input your postal code to find your riding, where to vote, accessibility options for the polling station, and a list of candidates.
“If [students] have just arrived at university, they can get, from the university, something that says they’re residing on campus,” Euguehard explained. “If they are in an apartment outside of the university, then a utility bill, or a signing of the rental agreement, those types of things can be used to show their address.”
Students will also have to make sure they are registered to vote, and can do so online or in-person at polling stations on election day.
To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, Elections Canada workers at the polling stations will be wearing masks, and plexiglass dividers will be used between voters and elections workers. While it is not currently mandatory to wear a mask in New Brunswick, Euguehard suggests that people do.
“At the door they will be offered a mask if they don’t have one, and there will be clear indications, the ones we’ve gotten all used to, the signs on the floor for physical distancing, the sanitizing of hands, and so on and so forth,” Euguehard said.
Polling stations will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Monday, September 20.