Register of Absentee Electors

If you are listed on the Register of Absentee Electors, you may be sent a Special Ballot Kit during the general election. This would allow you to cast a write-in Special Ballot using the vote by mail process.

In addition, you will be sent a yearly notice to confirm that you are still an eligible elector temporarily living outside the province.

A Special Ballot is a write-in ballot that enables residents of Ontario who are temporarily living outside the province to vote.

You are eligible to apply if you are 18 years of age or older, a Canadian citizen and

1. Ceased living in Ontario within the two years preceding election day,
   • Lived in Ontario for at least 12 consecutive months before leaving,
   • Intend to return to Ontario, and
   • Your last Ontario residence was in an electoral district.

Exceptions to the two-year limitation include:

2. Active duty as a member of the Canadian Forces,
3. Serving the Government of Canada or the Government of Ontario,
4. Attending an educational institution, or
5. You are a family member of anyone who meets the conditions set out in 2, 3 or 4.

To have your name added on the Register of Absentee Electors, please follow these instructions:

• Obtain an Application for the Register of Absentee Electors:
  
  • Download a form or
  • Contact Elections Ontario at 1-416-649-1046 or
    • Toll free (Canada and United States): 1-855-523-5932
    • TTY (Canada and United States): 1-888-292-2312
    • by email and we will mail, e-mail or fax you a form.

• Complete the Application for the Register of Absentee Electors (219KB PDF).
• Submit your completed Application for the Register of Absentee Electors along with a copy of one piece of identification (41KB PDF) with your name to Elections Ontario as explained in the application package. Your application package will contain the full list of acceptable identification.

You can download Adobe Reader to view PDF files.

1. If you wish to email your Application for the Register of Absentee Electors (219KB PDF) and your identification document, please scan your application and your identification document and send these to: sb@elections.on.ca.
2. If you wish to fax your application and your identification document, send these to Elections Ontario:
   • Toll free in Canada & USA: 1-888-483-4448
   • Local fax: 416-212-8723
   to the attention of Special Ballot.

3. If you wish to mail or courier your Application Register of Absentee Electors and a copy of your identification document, please send these to:
   

   Elections Ontario head office at:

   Elections Ontario
   Attention: Special Ballot
   51 Rolark Drive
   Toronto ON M1R 3B1
   Canada

A Special Ballot Officer at Elections Ontario reviews and approves your Application for the Register of Absentee Electors.

Once approved, you are named in the Register of Absentee Electors.

The Chief Electoral Officer may require an elector who is included on the Register of Absentee Electors to provide, within the time specified by the Chief Electoral Officer, any information that he or she considers necessary to update the register.

The mailing address outside Ontario that is shown for an elector included in the Register of Absentee Electors shall not be changed during the period that begins on the day the election is called in the relevant electoral district and ends on election day in that election.

The Chief Electoral Officer shall remove an elector's name from the Register of Absentee Electors if:

• The elector does not provide the information requested by the Chief Electoral Officer within the time he or she specifies,
• The elector sends the Chief Electoral Officer a signed request to remove the elector's name,
• The elector dies and the Chief Electoral Officer receives a request to remove the elector's name, accompanied by a death certificate or other documentary evidence of the death,
• The elector returns to reside in Ontario again, OR
• The elector has resided outside Ontario for at least two consecutive years and the exception to the two-year limitation does not apply.