Elections Canada will let poll workers in some ridings start counting advance ballots a little bit earlier, owing to the record number of votes cast in early voting on Easter weekend.
Preliminary estimates released by Elections Canada on Tuesday showed 7.3 million voters cast their ballot at advance polls during this past weekend, a 25-per cent increase from the 5.8 million votes in the 2021 federal election.
Ordinarily, vote counting does not begin until polls close. However, election law in Canada allows the chief electoral officer to make exceptions, on the request of district returning officers, to start counting advance ballots up to one hour before polls close.
Due to the high number of advance ballots cast in advanced polls, Elections Canada has received special dispensation to allow for counting of advance votes to begin up to two hours before polls close.
This will take place in only some ridings and the returning officers would have to request permission and receive permission from the chief electoral officer.
Elections Canada said special exception has already been granted for the Ottawa-area riding of Carleton, where 91 candidates including Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre are on the ballot. The larger-than-usual size of the ballots means it could take poll workers longer to count the votes.
Advance vote counting in that riding will be allowed to begin six hours before polls close in an effort to have results from there in a timely fashion.
While millions of Canadians have already voted, millions more will vote Monday. On the day of a general election, voting hours are staggered so that the majority of results are available at approximately the same time across the country.
Polls will be open for 12 hours. To find your polling station, check your voter information card or use Election Canada’s Voter Information Service.
Here’s a list of IDs you can bring to the polling booth on election day.