Site MenuVoter Registration Verification Mailings
Most Canadians who are qualified to vote (Canadian citizens who are at least 18 years old) are already registered in the National Register of Electors. The Register is used to create the lists of electors for federal elections, by-elections and referendums.
To make sure the Register is accurate, Elections Canada recently mailed out voter registration verification letters asking electors to check or update their address information.
Check or update your address information
For more information, read the FAQs below or contact us.
FAQs about the Voter Registration Qualification Mailing
- Q1: What is the purpose of the verification letter?
- Q2: What is the National Register of Electors?
- Q3: Where did you get my information?
- Q4: Is my information in the National Register of Electors kept confidential?
- Q5: How do I check or update my address information?
- Q6: How can I be sure that my personal information entered online is secure?
- Q7: What happens if I do not go online and check my information within 60 days of receiving the letter?
- Q8: I missed the deadline. What do I do?
- Q9: What if I can't use the Online Voter Registration Service?
- Q10: I recently used the Online Voter Registration Service to check or update my address information. Why am I getting this letter?
- Q11: I'm not a Canadian citizen. Why did I receive this letter and what should I do with it?
- Q12: I now live at a different address than the one printed on the letter. Which address should I use?
- Q13: Is a mailing address different from a residential address?
- Q14: I have legally changed my name, and my new name does not appear on the letter. What should I do?
- Q15: I received a letter for a person who does not live here. What should I do with the envelope?
- Q16: I received a letter for someone who is deceased. Why? What should I do with the letter?
- Q17: Why am I being asked to provide my email address and/or phone number through the online service?
- Q18: I already updated my voter registration with my province/territory. Why I am receiving this letter?
- Q19: What is a TTY service?
Back to topQ1: What is the purpose of the verification letter?
This letter asks electors to confirm or update their address information in the National Register of Electors to keep it up to date.
Q2: What is the National Register of Electors?
The Register is a permanent, continually updated database of all Canadians who are qualified to vote. It contains the name, address, gender and date of birth of each elector along with a unique identifier and is used to create lists of electors for federal elections, by-elections and referendums. Electors who have already registered do not have to register again for every election; however, they can update their address, notably by checking the boxes in the Elections Canada section of their tax return. At election time, they will automatically be sent a voter information card to tell them when, where and ways to vote.
As part of data-sharing agreements, Elections Canada shares voter information with all provinces and territories for their respective elections. This improves the accuracy of the lists of electors or registers, reduces duplication and saves taxpayers money.
To check if your address is up to date, visit the Online Voter Registration Service.
Q3: Where did you get my information?
We receive information from a number of sources, including the Canada Revenue Agency (if you consented on your income tax return to share your information with us by checking the Elections Canada boxes); Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (for new citizens who consented); provincial/territorial driver's licence bureaus; electoral agencies; and when you register to vote or update your registration.
Q4: Is my information in the National Register of Electors kept confidential?
Yes. The privacy of all information in the National Register of Electors (the Register) is protected by the Canada Elections Act and the Privacy Act. Elections Canada takes precautions to ensure that the information in the Register is kept secure and used for authorized purposes only.
Q5: How do I check or update my address information?
You can check or update your address information by using Elections Canada's Online Voter Registration Service. If you have difficulties with or do not have access to the online service, or if you need to update other information, such as your name, submit a Contact us form or call us at 1-800-463-6868. The TTY service line is 1-800-361-8935, for people who are hearing impaired.
Q6: How can I be sure that my personal information entered online is secure?
We ask that you double-check the web address to make sure it matches exactly what is indicated in the letter you received from Elections Canada. Also, before entering and sending any personal information online, make sure the page is secure by looking for the security seal (closed padlock 
) and "https://" in the URL address field at the top of your browser. You will see these when using Elections Canada's Online Voter Registration Service to check or update your address information.
Elections Canada always sends voter registration verification letters by mail. We will never ask you to share personal information or answer security questions by email or text message.
Q7: What happens if I do not go online and check my information within 60 days of receiving the letter?
By law, the Chief Electoral Officer is authorized to and will remove from the National Register of Electors the name of any person who fails to check or update their address information within 60 days of receiving the letter.
Once your name is removed from the Register and if you are a Canadian citizen 18 years of age or older, you will need to register during the next federal election, by-elections or referendum in order to vote.
Q8: I missed the deadline. What do I do?
You can use our Online Voter Registration Service to register again. If you have difficulties with or do not have access to this service, submit a Contact us form or call us at 1-800-463-6868. The TTY service line is 1-800-361-8935, for people who are hearing impaired. If needed, we can send you an Update Request form to complete, sign and return to Elections Canada with photocopies of the required proof of identity and address. A prepaid return envelope will be provided for you.
Q9: What if I can't use the Online Voter Registration Service?
If you have difficulty using the online service or need to update other information, such as your name, submit a Contact us form or call us at 1-800-463-6868. The TTY service line is 1-800-361-8935, for people who are hearing impaired. We can send you an Update Request form to complete, sign and return to Elections Canada with photocopies of the required identification. A prepaid return envelope will be provided for you.
Q10: I recently used the Online Voter Registration Service to check or update my address information. Why am I getting this letter?
You may have completed your transaction online after the letter was prepared. If you wish to check the information that is currently on your voter registration record, you can use the Online Voter Registration Service. If the information is correct, you do not need to take any further action.
Q11: I'm not a Canadian citizen. Why did I receive this letter and what should I do with it?
You received a verification letter because your information in the National Register of Electors needs to be validated. If you are not a Canadian citizen, contact us and we will ensure that your information is removed from the Register, as only Canadian citizens 18 years old and older can be registered to vote. If you become a Canadian citizen in the future, you will be able to register to vote at that time.
Q12: I now live at a different address than the one printed on the letter. Which address should I use?
If your current address is different from the one printed on the letter, you need to update your address in your voter registration. On the Voter Registration – Home Address page of the Online Voter Registration Service, enter the address that is printed on the letter you received from us. On the Voter Registration – Results page you will be given the option to update your home or mailing address. Click on the link Update your home address or mailing address here and enter your new address.
Q13: Is a mailing address different from a residential address?
Although the mailing address and the residential address are often the same, they may be different for some people.
Your mailing address is the one you commonly use to receive mail. It may include a post office box number, rural route or other specific mailing information. We need this address to send information during elections about when and where you should go to vote.
Your residential address is the one used to indicate your residence. It usually consists of a building number, street name, municipality name, province or territory, and postal code. Or you may use a legal land description, such as section, township, range and meridian, or a lot/concession-type address, to describe where your residence is located. We need this information to correctly determine the polling station to assign to you when there is an election.
Q14: I have legally changed my name, and my new name does not appear on the letter. What should I do?
To change your name, contact us. We can send you an Update Request form to complete, sign and return to Elections Canada with photocopies of the required identification. A prepaid return envelope will be provided for you.
Q15: I received a letter for a person who does not live here. What should I do with the envelope?
If you have received someone else's mail, you can write "Moved" or "Unknown" on the envelope and deposit it in a mailbox. The envelope will be returned to Elections Canada and the appropriate action will be taken.
Q16: I received a letter for someone who is deceased. Why? What should I do with the letter?
If you received a letter for a person who has died, you don't need to do anything. Elections Canada has agreements with Vital Statistics Registrars in each province and territory to regularly receive files that include the names of people over the age of 18 whose deaths have been registered. Once this information is received, it is matched against the Register. The names of electors who are confirmed to be deceased are removed from the Register.
In rare cases, deceased electors may still appear on the Register. This can happen due to time lags in processing the data received from Vital Statistics Registrars; differences in name, address and date of birth that prevent Elections Canada from matching the person with the corresponding death record received; or the person has died outside Canada and Elections Canada is not notified.
Q17: Why am I being asked to provide my email address and/or phone number through the online service?
Providing this information is optional. We ask that you provide an email address and/or phone number so we can follow up with you if we need more information to process your request.
Q18: I already updated my voter registration with my province/territory. Why I am receiving this letter?
While Elections Canada administers federal elections, each jurisdiction also has an electoral agency that administers provincial or territorial elections.
The Register is updated regularly using information from several sources, such as provincial and territorial electoral agencies following an electoral event. There can be a delay of several weeks or months before the voter information from an election is sent to Elections Canada and gets reflected in the Register.
Q19: What is a TTY service?
A TTY is a special device that lets people who are hearing impaired or speech impaired use the phone to communicate. Using the device, they type messages to one another instead of talking and listening. A TTY is required at both ends of the conversation to communicate via typed (or text) messages. Elections Canada's TTY service line is 1-800-361-8935.