Have plans on election day? Voting by special ballot may be for you.

If you are going to advanced polling, you may have to vote by special ballot. CTV Windsor’s Stefanie Masotti explains what you need to know.

For some voting has already begun in the federal election well ahead of advance polling - and that’s exactly what Michael Reainone did on Friday morning.

However, what he saw on the ballot wasn’t what he expected.

“You have to know the candidate before you vote. You have to write it in by hand,” he said. “It’s not where you put the x. You write it in by hand, put it in an envelope, they seal it and then you put it in the box.”

This process is called voting by special ballot, where voters must use the space provided to clearly print the first and last name of your chosen candidate.

Diane Benson with Elections Canada said the process requires a bit more homework for potential voters, “you have to take that responsibility to get the name of the candidate you want to vote for.”

That’s because the deadline for candidate nominations is on April 7th at 2:00 p.m.

Voters can cast special ballots in the lead-up to election day and must have the candidate’s name written by hand before being sealed and accepted.

“We try to make voting, available to people as soon as the election is called,” shared Benson. “We recognize that Canadians have very different lifestyles. They work shift work, they have childcare, they have busy jobs, and so they need to have flexibility.”

Voting with a special ballot comes with a risk — if the person named on the ballot isn’t ultimately confirmed, the vote won’t count and you won’t be able to vote for another candidate.