Ontario Premier Doug Ford has called a provincial election for Feb. 27. This may be leaving many students wondering how they can register to vote for the upcoming election, especially if they are living in a city away from their original home address. 

To be eligible to vote in this election students must be 18 years of age on the day of the election, a Canadian citizen and live in Ontario. If students are unsure if they are already registered to vote or not they can visit eregistration.elections.on.ca which will confirm their registration status and update or add their registration information. 

Many students may have addresses in two places, their original home address, and the city where they are currently enrolled in school. Students can pick whichever city they consider to be their home address when registering. Which city you register for will determine where you can vote come election day. 

When registering, Ontario residents will need an official document confirming their address and name. If residents are registering to vote in the city of their home address they will be able to use most documents issued by the government of Canada and the government of Ontario, such as an Ontario driver’s license. However, if students want to vote in the city where they are attending school and their official home address is outside of this city, they will need to use a different document to prove residence in that riding. Accepted proofs of residence include educational and financial documents, such as school tuition statements and bank statements, and other documents such as utility bills, or hospital records. Whichever documents students choose to use, must show their full name and address for the city they wish to register to vote in.  

Students who may be studying abroad or on co-op are still able to register to vote in the upcoming election and can do this as an absentee voter. To qualify as an absentee voter, students must have been a resident of Ontario for at least 12 months before leaving the province and intend to return. To register they have to provide a government-issued ID, educational or financial document or another official document that has their name and Ontario address on it. Students can qualify as an absentee voter up to two years after the date they leave Ontario. Absentee voters are only eligible to vote via mail. 

Students who are 16 and 17 years old who are not yet eligible to vote can also sign up for the Ontario Register of Future Voters. Once signed up students will be automatically registered to vote once they turn 18. 

Once registered on the voter’s list, students will be mailed a voter information card (VIC) that will explain when and where they can vote. If they have not received this card, this information can be found at the Voter Information Service online and may need to be prepared to update their information when they go to vote. If students have their VIC they can bring a piece of ID with just their name on it, however, if they do not have the card they will need an ID that has both their name and address.

Acceptable IDs when going to vote include documents such as driver’s licenses, student cards and phone bills. It is important to note that the requirements for acceptable forms of ID for registration and going to vote are different and students should ensure they are using the correct form of ID for each step. A list of acceptable IDs for going to vote can be found on the Elections Ontario site.  

There is also now an Elections Ontario mobile app available for download. The app will provide a scannable version of each person’s VIC, a full list of voting locations and dates, customizable election notifications and a list of candidates for each person’s electoral district.