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Filing your taxes? Check the boxes.

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Not 18 years old yet?

To register and vote in a federal election, you must be at least 18 years old and have Canadian citizenship.

When filing your taxes, checking "Yes" to both questions related to Elections Canada ensures that you're on the list of electors at your current address and ready to vote at any federal election.

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Check "YES" on your tax form.


If you check "Yes" to both questions

  • The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will only share your name, address and date of birth with Elections Canada to update the National Register of Electors.
  • If you're eligible to vote and not already in the National Register of Electors, Elections Canada will accept this as your request to be added.
  • If you're a Canadian citizen aged between 14 and 17, Elections Canada will add your information to the Register of Future Electors.
  • When an election is called, you will receive a voter information card that tells you where, when, and the ways to vote.

If you check "No" to question B or do not make a choice

  • The CRA won't share your information with Elections Canada.
  • Elections Canada won't remove your information from the National Register of Electors or the Register of Future Electors, if it's already there.
  • If you're registered and move before the next election, Elections Canada may not have your new address information.
  • If you're eligible to vote but not registered, you'll need to take steps to register when it's time to vote.

About the National Register of Electors

The Register is a permanent, continually updated database of all Canadians qualified to vote. It contains the name, address, gender and date of birth of each elector along with a unique identifier and is used to create lists of electors for federal elections and referendums. Electors who have already registered do not have to register again for every election; however, they can update their address, notably by checking the boxes in the Elections Canada section of their tax return. At election time, they will automatically be sent a voter information card to tell them where, when and the ways to vote.

As part of data-sharing agreements, Elections Canada shares voter information with all provinces and territories for provincial and territorial elections. This improves the accuracy of the lists of electors, reduces duplication and saves taxpayer money.

The privacy of all information is protected by the Canada Elections Act and the Privacy Act. Elections Canada takes precautions to ensure that the information in the Register is kept secure and used for authorized purposes only.

To check if your address is up to date, visit the Online Voter Registration Service.

About the Register of Future Electors

The Register of Future Electors contains information (name, date of birth, gender, address, and unique identifier) on Canadian youth aged between 14 and 17 who consented to register with Elections Canada. Upon turning 18, eligible individuals will be added to the National Register of Electors to update lists of electors for federal elections and referendums.

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