Advance polls open Friday for voters to cast ballot in federal election

People walk past an Elections Canada sign outside an office in Montreal, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA — Advance polls open tomorrow for voters to cast their ballot in the federal election ahead of the April 28 official election day.

The advance polls run daily from Friday to Monday, and are generally open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. in each jurisdiction.

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Individuals will need an accepted form of identification, which could include:

• a driver’s licence or other government-issued card with photo, name and current address;
• two pieces of ID, including at least one with a current address -- for instance, a voter identification card and bank statement;
• or a written declaration along with someone who meets certain criteria to vouch for the voter’s identity.

People can also vote early at an Elections Canada office any day before April 23, or vote by mail.

The deadline for registering to vote by mail is next Tuesday.

Once someone applies to vote by mail, they cannot vote at advance polls or on election day.

Jon Pammett, a political scientist at Carleton University, said there’s usually quite a demand for advance polls and the Easter weekend likely won’t affect turnout by voters.

“The polls have been showing that the interest level in the election is higher than usual,” he said.

“I would suspect that they’ll take advantage of the opportunity to vote in advance, as well as on election day.”

Elections Canada said advance polling is usually busiest from 10 a.m. to noon and tends to be slower in the early morning and after 4 p.m.

Nearly five million people voted at advance polls in the 2019 election, and 5.8 million did so in the 2021 election.

Elections Canada said about 75,000 students voted early on campus and there has been a spike in requests for special ballots.

Elections Canada said it can’t predict how many people will vote in advance polls but it should have a better idea once they’re underway.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 17, 2025.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press