Under 18? You can preregister to vote
Registration is voluntary and will allow teens to be ready to vote at 18
What if you could sign up now to be ready to vote right when you turn 18?
Elections Canada is starting future voter registration for teens ages 14 to 17.
It wants teens to sign up while they’re still young so that by the time they turn 18, they are already set up to vote in federal elections — regardless of when they happen.
Other provinces, including Ontario and British Columbia, have their own future voter programs so that teens can preregister to vote in provincial elections.
Elections Canada told CBC Kids News in an email that among 18-year-olds who are newly eligible to vote, only around 31 per cent were registered.
The Register of Future Electors aims to change this by engaging teens at a young age.
By getting young people more involved at their own convenience early on, they hope they will engage in the electoral process when the time comes.
“We hope this change will boost youth participation in civic life,” reads the statement.
You must:
- Be a Canadian citizen.
- Be between 14 and 17.
- Be living in Canada.
- Provide proof of identity and address using a piece of ID.
Once you turn 18, your information will be passed on to Elections Canada automatically — all you have to do is head to your local polling station on voting day.
To apply, you’ll need to go to Elections Canada’s website where you can register using government ID or proof of address.
If you’re thinking of signing up, you may also be wondering when the next federal election is.
In Canada, elections usually take place every four years, with our last federal election taking place on April 28 of last year.
However, with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s minority Liberal government, that could happen sooner.
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