Élections Québec offers several voting options, and some of them are not well known. Voting on election day, Monday, October 5, is unquestionably the most efficient option. That day, there are nearly four times as many polling stations as during advance polling, which takes place on September 27 and 28. But other ways of voting may better meet the needs of electors who are in special situations.

Voting at the office of the returning officer
People who are hunting or travelling for work, for example, may choose to vote at the office of a returning officer. Electors can vote there for a candidate in the electoral division of their domicile, regardless of which electoral division they are in. If needed, they can be entered on the list of electors or update their address before voting, in a single visit.

Electors who use this option can vote anywhere in Québec thanks to a computerized list of electors that includes the entire electorate. As a result, election officers can quickly find an elector among the approximately 6.4 million people who are entered in Québec. Election officers can then indicate on the list, in real time, that this elector has voted. At advance polling stations and on election day, election officers instead use printed excerpts of the list of electors, which only include electors assigned to a specific polling station.

Voting at the offices of returning officers will be available on Friday, September 25 and Saturday, September 26, then from Tuesday, September 29 to Thursday, October 1. Voting will begin at 9:30 a.m., but the closing time will vary from one day to another.

In the 2022 election, more than 80,000 people voted at the office of a returning officer.

Voting on campus
Polling stations will be set up in several vocational training centres, CEGEPs, colleges and universities. This voting option is intended primarily for students who temporarily reside outside their electoral division. Electors from all electoral divisions can vote there, just as at the office of a returning officer. If needed, they can also be entered on the list of electors or update their address before voting, in a single visit.

The dates and opening hours of polling stations on campuses vary from one institution to another. They are published on the Élections Québec website.

In the 2022 election, more than 50,000 people voted on campus.

Voting in a CHSLD or an RPA
A polling station will be set up in the common area of all residential and long-term care centres (CHSLDs) and private seniors’ residences (RPAs) that have a capacity of 50 or more residents and are recognized by Santé Québec. Upon request, a voting team can also go to the room of a person who is unable to move to the common area or who lives in a residence with fewer than 50 residents where no polling station has been set up.

In the 2022 election, more than 80,000 people voted in a CHSLD or an RPA.

Voting at home or in your room
A voting team can go to the domicile of electors who are unable to move about for health reasons. The team can also go to the room of electors in the same situation who are in a residential facility, such as a seniors’ residence or a CHSLD, or in a health facility, such as a rehabilitation centre or a hospital centre.

A person who uses this option shows a piece of identification, marks their ballot paper, and places it in the ballot box themselves, as at a polling location.

To vote at their domicile or in their room, electors must apply with the returning officer of their electoral division no later than September 21.

In the 2022 election, more than 10,000 people voted at their domicile or in their room.

Voting outside Québec
Electors who are outside the province can vote by mail if they meet the conditions for voting outside Québec. Electors who temporarily leave the province can vote outside Québec for five years following their departure. In addition, a new exception allows electors attending an educational institution outside Québec to vote in this manner, regardless of the length of their stay. A similar exception is also in force for certain workers assigned outside Québec and to members of the Canadian Forces.

Registration to vote outside Québec closes on September 16.

During the 2022 provincial election, nearly 2,000 electors who were outside the province voted by mail.

Voting in a remote region
Voting teams also travel to certain remote areas, such as workers’ camps or northern villages.

In the 2022 election, more than 4,000 people cast their ballots early in a remote community or area.

About Élections Québec
Élections Québec is a neutral and independent agency. Its mission is to ensure the integrity, transparency, and reliability of elections, and to contribute to the vitality of Québec democracy.

In practical terms, the institution organizes provincial elections in cooperation with the returning officers of the 127 electoral divisions. In addition, it designs and offers several democracy education programs; it ensures compliance with political financing rules; and it acts as a public prosecutor to ensure compliance with Québec’s electoral laws.