MA'SUM GHAR, Afghanistan - It's voting day for Canada's soldiers in Afghanistan.

Or make that voting days, starting Monday.

Organizing the balloting in a war zone far from home brings with it some challenges Elections Canada does not normally face.

For one thing, there's the tricky business of ensuring that soldiers in the remote outposts of Panjwaii in Kandahar province can vote if they want to.

To ensure they can, five two-person teams were slated to fly by military transport to the various strong points and forward operating bases, said Maj. Kash Bagal, senior deputy returning officer.

Voting booths were being set up in mess halls and other convenient locations, where soldiers could cast ballots.

Troops have been paying attention to the election, when operational necessities and communications allow, Capt. Adam Siokalo said Sunday from a remote post in western Panjwaii.

The main issue for many soldiers, he said, is what the various parties have in mind for the military.

"Which party wants to cut the (defence) budget? Which party plans to procure new weapons," Siokalo said.

About 2,850 soldiers in Afghanistan are eligible to vote, although the exact number isn't known because some may just be coming into the war zone, while others may be on leave.

Elections Canada has added between five and 10 per cent to the number to allow for any discrepancies.

Unlike most Canadians, soldiers will not be marking their ballots, which Elections Canada sent to Kandahar for distribution, with an 'x.'

The ballots themselves are different from normal because each soldier has to go through a 112-page list of 415 candidates to choose one of the 308 electoral districts and its candidates they wish to vote for.

They then write their preference on the actual ballot, which goes into an envelope, which is then put into a second envelope containing the riding.

Because military personnel move around so much, some are registered in the electoral district in which they initially enrolled.

Others may have updated their preference to reflect their current address, or perhaps that of a relative.

Bagal said Elections Canada sent out information to everyone in the military last year reminding them to ensure their "statement of ordinary residence" was accurate.

A handful who don't have any riding registered would have to make that determination with the deputy returning officer at the polling booth, Bagal said.

In all, polls were being organized at nine polling stations -- one in Kabul, and the others in Kandahar, where the bulk of Canada's manpower is concentrated.

One was being set up be at Kandahar Airfield, the main military hub, and another at Camp Nathan Smith in Kandahar city itself.

Those three "permanent" polling stations would remain open until voting ends on Saturday.

The rest, serviced by the roving teams -- a deputy returning officer and an assistant -- would only be open for a few hours to allow for the logistics of moving between the forward operating bases. Troops had been given advance notice of the voting hours in their locations.

Once voting is completed, Bagal said he would see how big the package of double-enveloped ballots was before deciding whether to courier them back to Canada or fly them back himself.

"It will depend on how big it is," he said. "I have no idea."