N.W.T. voters can cast a ballot at any Elections Canada office on Tuesday (April 22) until 4 p.m MT. Voters can also opt to vote using a mail-in ballot if they apply by April 22 before 4 p.m. MT.
Diane Benson, who is a media rep with Elections Canada, told True North FM that Elections Canada offices will be open across N.W.T. and on Tuesday voters can head to any one of them before 4 p.m. MT.
Elections Canada office locations can be found on Election Canada’s voting locations page
In the city of Yellowknife, the main Elections Canada office is located on 5019 52nd St.
N.W.T. has a population of about 45,000 people and a land area of about 1.1 million km2. Another option that may appeal to NWT’s voters, especially those located in remote communities, is using a mail-in ballot. Voters wanting to vote using these special ballots are required to apply for a voting kit by April 22 before 4 p.m. MT.
Benson explained that to receive a voting kit, voters can contact any Elections Canada office across the country. Applications are also available online.
Elections Canada will mail you a special ballot voting kit with everything you need to vote. Voters can fill out their ballot and mail it back to Elections Canada using the pre-addressed return envelope with prepaid postage in the kit.
Elections Canada asks that ballots be returned by mail on the deadline written on their voting kit or returned to an Elections Canada office (before the polls close on election day). In N.W.T. the polling stations will generally be open until 7:30 p.m. MT.
Over the long weekend, advanced polls have been open for voters to cast their ballots early.
During the last federal election in 2021, about 25 per cent of voters in N.W.T. cast their ballots at the advanced polls.
If you couldn’t make it to the advanced polls and couldn’t get your hands on a voting kit, you can always head to the ballot box on April 28.
Benson told True North that voters are required to vote at their assigned polling station on election day.
Stations will be open 12 hours on election day. If you are casting your vote in N.W.T. the polls will generally be open between 7:30 am to 7:30 pm Mountain Time. If you are casting your vote from a different part of the country, you can check the Voting Hours page on the Elections Canada site.
At the last federal election,101 polling stations were open across N.W.T. on election day. The quickest way to find your assigned polling station is to head to the Elections Canada Voter Information Service page and enter your postal code and address.
Benson explained that when registered voters get to a polling station, they will have three options to prove their identity and address.
Acceptable forms of identification can be a driver’s licence or other government-issued photo identification card showing your name and current address. Alternatively, you can bring two pieces of ID showing your name along with one form of ID showing your address.
If you don’t have those types of identification on hand, there are still ways to cast a ballot in the 45th federal election.
Eligible voters can declare their identity and address in writing and will need to be accompanied by someone who can vouch for them (that person must also be assigned to the same polling station).
“If you have no ID, you can have someone from the same polling station who had ID, vouch for you,” explained Benson.
Information on the Elections Canada site says that the person who vouches for you must be able to prove their own identity and address.
Not sure if you are registered under your current address? You can head to the Elections Canada Online Voter Registration Service.
Benson confirmed that polling stations that are wheelchair accessible will be available. You can check the accessibility status of your polling location by filling in your postal code on the Voter Information Service Page.
Benson said that polling stations will also be set up in long-term care facilities for residents of care homes who would like to vote.
