Everything you need to know about how to vote in P.E.I.'s election

Prince Edward Islanders head to the polls in a provincial election on April 3. Here's everything you need to know about how to cast your ballot.

Who can vote?

To be eligible, you must be:

• 18 or older on or before election day.
• A Canadian citizen on or before election day.
• A resident of P.E.I. for the six months immediately before the date of the election.
• A resident of the polling district on the date of the election.

According to P.E.I.'s Election Act, employers are required to give employees "reasonable and sufficient" time to vote on election day. An interesting exception: This doesn't apply to people who work with or drive scheduled buses, ships, airplanes, and so on. 

How can I register to vote?

This part is quick and easy. You can do it online through the Elections P.E.I. Voter Registration Portal.

Input your first and last name, date of birth, and address to update or confirm your voter information. 

If you haven't pre-registered, you can also register in person by bringing two pieces of identification to prove who you are and where you live. 

You can find a list of acceptable identification on the Elections P.E.I. website.

If your ID doesn't have your current address on it, you must take the Oath of Elector (that basically just means you have to attest in writing that you really live where you say you do).

Here's the eligibility page for more information.

Everything you need to know about mail-in ballots

This has a firm deadline, so if you're getting a mail-in ballot, read closely.

First you have to download Elections P.E.I.'s mail-in ballot form (PDF) and fill in all the information. 

Those eligible for mail-in voting include:

• Any eligible voter on P.E.I.
• Anyone sick or physically incapable of voting at a polling station.
• Anyone attending school, travelling or temporarily living outside of P.E.I. and unable to get home for either of the advance poll days or election day.
• People who are incarcerated.

Take a picture of the application or scan it, along with your driver's licence or government-issued ID, and email those images to voting@electionspei.ca. You can also deliver your application in person at the Elections P.E.I. office in Charlottetown.

Mail-in ballots will be delivered to fixed addresses by FedEx, accompanied by a paid-return FedEx envelope for shipping the marked ballot back to Elections P.E.I.

The deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot is 6 p.m. on March 21. The deadline for getting your mail-in ballot back to Elections P.E.I. is noon on election day, April 3.

Remember: You can't vote in person at a polling station if you have been approved for a mail-in ballot.

Who are the candidates, what are the issues?

CBC News has a running list of every candidate who has declared an intention to run in the 2023 provincial election.

Elections P.E.I. also has a handy tool on its website that shows every officially registered candidate. The deadline for registering as a candidate is 2 p.m. AT on Friday, March 17, so check back after that if all the parties aren't represented in your district now.

Check out the parties' platforms and major campaign promises on our 2023 election promise tracker.

Where and when do I vote in person?

The Elections P.E.I. website has a tool that will tell you the advance poll and election day poll locations in your area using your civic address. You can also find out when polls open and whether these locations are accessible to people who use wheelchairs or walkers.

It also has a tab that shows you the registered candidates running in your district.

The three advance voting dates are:

• Saturday, March 25.
• Monday, March 27.
• Friday, March 31.

And, as we've said, your regular voting day is April 3.

You can call Elections P.E.I. at 1-888-234-8683 or email info@electionspei.ca for help with any step in this process at any time.