How to vote early in the 2025 Canadian federal election

Prime Minister Mark Carney has called a snap election for April 28, 2025.

While the election wasn’t due until October, Carney says it’s important to hold one now amid ongoing tensions with the United States.

“We are facing the most significant crisis of our lifetimes because of President Trump’s unjustified trade actions and his threats to our sovereignty,” Carney said in a news conference on Sunday. “Our response must be to build a strong economy and a more secure Canada. President Trump claims that Canada isn’t a real country. He wants to break us so America can own us. We will not let that happen.”

Carney will be running for the Liberal Party against the Conservative’s Pierre Poilievre, NDP’s Jagmeet Singh, Bloc Québécois’ Yves-François Blanchet, People’s Party of Canada’s Maxime Bernie and Green Party of Canada’s Elizabeth May and Jonathan Pedneault.

While Election Day is April 28, Canadians will have a few options to vote early if desired. (Note that there is no online method.)

First, there will be advanced polling days from Friday, April 18 to Monday, April 21 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day. The voter card you’ll receive in the mail will inform you of your designated advanced polling station.

Alternatively, Elections Canada offices will open “shortly” for advanced voting in a special ballot process, which is due by April 22. More information is available on the official Elections Canada website.

And finally, you can vote by mail by applying online or at any Elections Canada office across the country. This also has an April 22 deadline and uses the special ballot process.

Otherwise, you can wait until April 28 and head to your designated polling station as per your voter card.

If you’ve voted before, you’re automatically registered to do so again. Those who haven’t will have to register and can learn more on that process from the Elections Canada website.

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