Who Can Vote in Canadian Federal Elections?

# Who Can Vote in Canadian Federal Elections?

Voting is one of the most important rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship — and one of the most reliably tested topics on the citizenship exam. Here is exactly who can vote, who cannot, and what the test asks.

To vote in a federal election, you must:

1. Be a Canadian citizen, and
2. Be at least 18 years old on election day.

That is it. No language test, no residency length requirement (beyond what citizenship itself requires), no income or property test. If you meet both criteria, you can vote.

This is the part most newcomers ask about: permanent residents cannot vote in federal, provincial, or municipal elections, no matter how long they have lived in Canada.

If you are a permanent resident who wants to vote, you need to become a Canadian citizen first. See [How to Apply for Canadian Citizenship](/blog/how-to-apply-canadian-citizenship-online-2026).

A few cities — most notably Toronto in years past — have debated allowing PRs to vote in municipal elections, but currently no province permits it.

The following groups cannot vote:

• Visitors (tourists, business travellers)
• Temporary residents (international students, work-permit holders)
• Refugee claimants awaiting decisions
• People under 18 on election day, even if 18 the day after

Canadian citizens who live outside Canada can vote by mail. Until 2019, there was a 5-year limit on overseas voting — Canadians abroad longer than 5 years lost the right to vote. Parliament removed this limit, so any Canadian citizen abroad can now register for a special ballot through Elections Canada.

On election day, you need to prove your identity and address. Acceptable ID:

• One piece of government ID with photo, name, and address (driver's licence, provincial ID card), or
• Two pieces of ID — one with your name (passport, citizenship card, etc.) and one with your name and address (utility bill, bank statement, etc.).

If you do not have ID, someone in your riding who knows you and is registered to vote can vouch for you (one person can vouch for one voter).

Voting is listed as one of the rights of citizenship in the Charter (section 3) and as one of the responsibilities of citizenship in [Discover Canada](/blog/responsibilities-canadian-citizen-list). It is not legally required — Canada does not have compulsory voting — but the citizenship test asks about it because participation in elections is a core duty.

Voter turnout in Canadian federal elections is usually around 65–70% — high by some standards, low by others.

The same rule (citizen + 18) applies to provincial and territorial elections. Municipal rules are slightly different — some cities allow you to vote at age 18 with a property tax receipt or rental agreement, but none allow PRs to vote.

Almost every citizenship test has at least one voting question. Common forms:

• Who can vote in a federal election in Canada? *(Canadian citizens 18 and older)*
• What is the voting age? *(18)*
• Can permanent residents vote? *(No)*
• Why is voting important? *(Right and responsibility of citizenship)*

For more on rights, see [What Are Democratic Rights in Canada?](/blog/what-are-democratic-rights-canada).

Try our [free practice test](/practice-test) — it includes voter eligibility questions in the same format you will see on test day.