FAQs
You can vote if you are:
- a Canadian citizen;
- 18 years of age on or before election day;
- a resident of Manitoba for at least six months before election day; and
- in the case of a byelection, a resident of the electoral division in which the byelection is being held.
Every voter must show ID to vote. Find out more about ID requirements.
If you are unable to go in person to a voting place due to a disability, you and/or your caregiver can apply to vote in your home by contacting your returning officer. To apply for homebound voting, download the application form (PDF, 138.7 KB), then submit your application and copies of the required ID to Elections Manitoba. Find out more about ID requirements.
Voting will be available for patients in hospitals and other care facilities on election day.
You can apply for absentee voting if you are eligible to vote but can't make it to a polling place during advance voting or on election day.
Braille ballot templates are available at all voting places. Magnifying lenses and large print lists of candidates are also available. A Braille list of candidates is available on election day and at some advance voting locations. You can also bring someone with you to help you vote. They must be 18 years of age or older. A voting officer may also assist you.
If you cannot mark the ballot yourself, you can bring someone with you to help you vote. They must be 18 years of age or older. A voting officer may also assist you.
If you require an interpreter to assist you, contact Elections Manitoba before you plan to vote. We will do our best to accommodate requests and locate interpreters in your community.
The voters list is not publicly posted. However, if you are concerned about your personal security, you can apply to have your name omitted or obscured (blacked out) from the voters list and replaced with a personal security number. A person who has been assigned a personal security number may vote only by homebound ballot. You can discuss this option by contacting your returning office during an election. To find out more, contact us.
You can vote if you do not have a permanent address. If you are staying at a shelter or hostel, you vote in the electoral division in which your shelter is located. Many shelters have voting places set up on election day. ID is required to vote. See a complete list of acceptable ID.
You may register at the voting place. Just bring government issued photo identification, or two other documents with your name, and sign an oath. See a list of acceptable ID.
STUDENTS ATTENDING SCHOOL INSIDE MANITOBA
The following conditions apply if you are studying at a school located in Manitoba, but live away from home.
- If your course of study is longer than six months you will vote in the electoral division you live in while attending school.
- If your course of study is shorter than six months you will vote in your home electoral division.
Students Attending School Outside Manitoba
Eligible voters attending school outside Manitoba can still vote in a Manitoba provincial election.
To qualify as a student absentee voter you must:
- be a Canadian citizen
- be 18 years old on or before election day
- intend to return to live in Manitoba when you are done your studies*
- No literature, sign, poster, or flag having reference to the election, can be posted within 50 metres (164 ft.) of the entrance to a building that is a voting place [s. 124(1) of EA];
- It should be noted that the Returning Office itself is also a voting place on days when there is absentee voting or advance voting.
- All temporary street signs are covered by the City of Winnipeg's temporary street signs bylaw. You can view this by-law online at the City of Winnipeg website (External link). For locations outside Winnipeg, refer to your local municipality.
- Manitoba Infrastructure sets policy governing signs posted in the Provincial Road/Trunk Highway (PR/PTH) right-of-ways. View the policy (PDF, 26.8 KB).
- Every employee is entitled to three consecutive hours to vote at the discretion of the employer (i.e., not any three hours you want) [s. 13 of EA]. If you are off work at 5:00 pm then you automatically have three hours (5:00 pm to 8:00 pm).
- If you work a shift from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm you have the right to take time to vote during the work day.
- "The discretion of the employer" means employers may adjust work hours to accommodate time off for voting (i.e., change in shift hours from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm)