Who Cannot Vote in Canada? Permanent Residents, Students, Prisoners and Others

In Canada, the people who cannot vote in federal elections are: those who are not Canadian citizens, including permanent residents, foreign workers and international students; people under 18 on polling day; and two officials bound to neutrality, the Chief Electoral Officer and the Deputy Chief Electoral Officer. Most of the other common beliefs are wrong: prisoners vote, citizens living abroad vote, people without a fixed address vote. Here is the exact list, level by level, what you need to know if you are a permanent resident, and why the question comes up on the citizenship test.

The rule: Canadian citizen and 18 years old

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms says it in one sentence, in section 3: every Canadian citizen has the right to vote and to run for office in federal and provincial elections. The Canada Elections Act adds the age condition: being 18 on election day, which lets you vote in advance at 17 if you will be 18 on polling day. You also have to prove your identity and address at the polling place. That is all. There is no income, property or length-of-residence condition federally, and voting is not compulsory.

It is also the answer expected on the citizenship test, where the question comes up in several forms: who has the right to vote, at what age, and what you must do to vote. The Discover Canada guide reminds readers that voting is both a right and a responsibility of citizenship. Our government and elections questions and our article on the rights and responsibilities of citizens cover that chapter.

Who cannot vote in federal elections

• Non-citizens, whatever their status: permanent residents, work or study permit holders, refugee claimants, visitors. Living in Canada for twenty years on a PR card changes nothing.
• People under 18 on election day. Those aged 14 to 17 can, however, sign up to the Register of Future Electors to be on the list automatically when they come of age.
• The Chief Electoral Officer and the Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, the only two adult citizens excluded by law, in the name of the neutrality of the body that runs the vote.

It is a short list, and it became short over time. Through the 20th century, Canada removed one by one the exclusions that applied to women, Canadians of Asian origin, Indigenous peoples, judges, people living with an intellectual disability, and then prisoners. Our article on women's right to vote in Canada traces part of that history, which is also test material.

Those who can vote, contrary to popular belief

• Prisoners. Since the Supreme Court's Sauvé decision in 2002, every incarcerated person who is a citizen and 18 votes, by special ballot, whatever the length of the sentence.
• Canadians living abroad. The five-year absence limit was struck down by the Supreme Court in Frank in 2019 and then removed from the law: a citizen can vote by mail from any country, however long they have been away, provided they once lived in Canada.
• People without a fixed address, with an attestation from a shelter or an organization, or a voucher.
• New citizens, from the day of the ceremony. No waiting period: if an election is held the following week, you vote, with proof of identity and address.

Permanent resident: why you do not vote, and when that changes

A permanent resident pays taxes, can live and work anywhere in Canada, sends their children to public school, but does not vote. The reason is constitutional: the Charter explicitly reserves the right to vote for citizens, and no province has so far opened municipal voting to permanent residents, even though the city councils of Toronto and Vancouver have asked their provincial governments for it. So it is not a question of length of residence or goodwill: status is what counts.

The good news is that the switch happens in a single day. A permanent resident who meets the requirements, essentially 1,095 days of presence in Canada over five years, applies, passes the test and takes the oath. On the way out of the ceremony, Elections Canada offers to register them in the National Register of Electors on the spot. Our guide on going from permanent resident to citizen describes the journey, and our article on voting for the first time as a new citizen takes over on election day.

International students, temporary workers, refugee claimants

A study or work permit is a temporary status, and no temporary status gives the right to vote, even after several years. An international student who completes a six-year doctorate in Canada has never voted; they will be able to after obtaining permanent residence, then citizenship, rarely less than four years after finishing their studies. Refugee claimants and protected persons are in the same situation until citizenship. Student organizations and election campaigns can of course welcome non-citizen volunteers: campaigning, yes; voting, no.

Provincial and municipal: the same basics, a few extra conditions

Each province and territory sets its own rules for its elections and for municipal elections, which also fall under its authority. Everywhere, Canadian citizenship and being 18 are required. The difference lies in residency: several provinces require you to have lived there for six months at the time of the vote, others only to live there on election day. Municipally, most provinces also accept non-resident owners or tenants of the municipality, provided they are citizens. Our article on the three levels of government explains who decides what. Federal referendums follow the same rules as federal elections.

Running for office: the same conditions as voting

To run in a federal election, you must be a Canadian citizen and be 18 on polling day, exactly as for voting. A permanent resident can therefore neither vote nor run, but can join a party, donate within the limits of the law and campaign. A few specific exclusions apply to candidates: prisoners, members of a provincial or territorial legislature, certain election officials and people convicted of electoral offences. The full workings of the vote are described in our article on federal elections in Canada.

Key takeaways

• Federal vote: Canadian citizen, 18 on polling day, proof of identity and address.
• Cannot vote: non-citizens (including permanent residents and international students), minors, the Chief Electoral Officer and the Deputy Chief Electoral Officer.
• Can vote: prisoners, citizens abroad, people without a fixed address, new citizens from their ceremony onward.
• Provincial and municipal: citizenship and 18 everywhere, plus a residency condition depending on the province.

The right to vote is the first one new citizens exercise, and one of the safest questions on the test. Review the chapter with our chapter quizzes and test yourself on a 20-question practice exam.