How to support unhoused voters in the Federal election
If you are an executive, site manager, or anyone else deemed ‘in-charge’ at a shelter, drop-in, or other service agency you can support your unhoused clients to vote by providing them with their proof of residence. By doing so you are attesting that your client considers your agency the main service they use, or the one they visit most frequently.
In order to help unhoused clients vote you must pre-register your agency with the local Elections Canada office in your electoral district. You may then sign a Letter of Confirmation of Residence together with your client that they must present when they go to vote.
Link to the letter template: https://www.elections.ca/vot/ids/EC50053_e.pdf
What do I need to do to pre-register my agency?
Elections Canada maintains a List of Designated Establishments that contains all the recognized social service agencies who have pre-registered to help clients vote. This list is carried over between elections, so in most cases your agency will already be on this list. However it is good to double-check as your agency may be registered under an old name. Agencies may also register in more than one electoral district, and networks are able to register as well.
Updates to the list of designated establishments are the responsibility of each local Elections Canada office, not the head office in Gatineau. Changes to the list are made on a case-by-case basis. If you need to register you will have to call the local Elections Canada office in your electoral district and press 0 to speak to a staff member. You can find the telephone number for your local office using the link below and entering for your postal code, or by searching for your electoral district.
Find your local Elections Canada Office: https://www.elections.ca/Scripts/VIS/FindED?L=e&QID=-1&PAGEID=20
Please note: Elections Canada recently made changes to the borders of electoral districts. It is important to use the link to find your local office as your agency may not be in the same electoral district as the previous election.
What else should I know to help clients vote?
In addition to proof of residence voters need to provide Elections Canada staff with proof of identity. This could be anything from a reputable organization that has their name on it, such as a credit card, library card, student card, or so on. For a full list check the link below.
If clients do not have proof of identity then someone can vouch for them as long as:
· The person vouching for them is assigned to vote at the same polling station on election day, OR
That person is eligible to vote in the same electoral district as your service user if voting at an Elections Canada office on or before April 22nd
· The person vouching has not been vouched for themselves
· They are not vouching for anyone else
· They go with the voter to the polling station and sign a form confirming their identity
List of eligible ID:
https://www.elections.ca/content2.aspx?section=id&document=index&lang=e#list
What to do when it is time to vote.
If you are organizing a voting drive it is important to let Elections Canada staff know ahead of time so they can prepare in advance. In addition, all staff at Elections Canada are trained in accessibility matters using the “Ask, Listen, Do” system, and various accommodations such as braille ballots are available.
Unfortunately mistakes do happen, and staff on voting day may not be aware of the procedures for unhoused people to vote. It is good to be familiar with the relevant rules and regulations so you can advocate for your clients. If you feel someone has been turned away unfairly you can escalate the issue to the polling site manager, or even the local returning officer.
Anyone can vote at an Elections Canada office from now until 6 PM on April 22nd. However some locations may not yet have received ballots with a full list of candidates and may instead offer write-in ballots. It is very important that your clients know the full name of the candidate for whom they wish to vote. Write-in ballots with the name of a party or party leader will be rejected.
Lastly, election day is April 28th and polls will be open from 9 AM to 9 PM.