For the 2025 general municipal election, the Chief Electoral Officer, Mr. Jean-François Blanchet, has made a special decision to allow municipalities to transmit election-related documents by means other than mail delivered to every door. This decision was necessary in light of the disruption to postal services.
“Postal services are a key element of the electoral process,” said the Chief Electoral Officer. “In the current context, municipalities, which are responsible for organizing their elections, will have to make considerable extra effort to find other solutions. I invite electors to be understanding and to take the time to contact their municipality to get all the information they need to be able to exercise their right to vote.”
This decision does not prevent municipalities from mailing their documents should the strike end quickly and postal services resume their usual efficiency.
Replacement measures for municipalities
To support municipalities in this particular situation, Élections Québec is proposing several alternative measures. If they have the capacity to do so, municipalities are encouraged to choose a solution that will ensure the delivery of two documents to electors’ doors in keeping with the spirit of the Act respecting elections and referendums in municipalities: the notice of entry on the list of electors and the reminder card. Municipalities can use another delivery service, or call on their own staff or a group of volunteers, for example.
If they are unable to distribute personalized notices of entry to each elector, they could distribute a non-personalized notice at every door. In that case, they should make it possible for electors to confirm their entry on the list of electors in person, over the telephone or online. They could also disseminate general information through posters, advertisements and their website. If they choose this option, they should also offer a service enabling electors to confirm their entry on the list of electors.
If municipalities with a population of 20,000 or more are unable to deliver reminder cards to the electors’ door, they must allow electors to confirm their polling place by telephone.
Vote by mail kits will need to be sent via a delivery service.
All these measures are explained in the appendix.
Mandatory mailings
- Under the Act respecting elections and referendums in municipalities, all municipalities are required to mail a notice of entry to all addresses on their territory. This notice indicates the names of the electors entered on the list of electors at each address. It can also indicate that no one is entered on the list of electors at that address. In addition, it mentions when and where the board of revisors will meet. This notice should be sent out between October 6 and 15, depending on the municipality.
- Nearly 92% of Québec’s 6.4 million electors are entered on the list of electors. Nearly 98% of these are entered at the correct address.
- Between October 11 and 21, every municipality must hold at least two sessions to revise the list of electors, to allow electors to be entered on the list or to change their entry, if needed. Locations, dates and times vary from one municipality to another.
- Élections Québec invites electors to use its online service to confirm their entry on the provincial list of electors. Most of the electors on this list are also entered on their municipality’s list of electors, at the same address. However, this is not the case for people who have the right to vote as owners or co-owners of a building, or as occupants or co-occupants of a business establishment located on the territory of the municipality. Also, anyone who has changed address and has modified their entry on the list of electors since September 5, notably using the Service québécois de changement d’adresse (SQCA), must contact their municipality to provide their new address, even if the information is up to date on the Élections Québec website.
- Electors should not assume that they are entered on their municipality’s list of electors, even if they voted in the most recent federal election, since the lists used are separate.
- No one can make changes to the list of electors on voting day. This is an important difference between federal and municipal elections.
- Municipalities with a population of 20,000 or more are required to mail a reminder card to every person entered on the list of electors. This card indicates the candidates the people living at that address can vote for, and where they can exercise their right to vote. This card must be sent by October 25 at the latest.
- Nearly 260 municipalities offer voting by mail to electors whose main residence is not located in the municipality. Vote by mail kits can be sent out as soon as the period for filing nomination papers ends, on October 3 at 4:30 p.m.
Special decision
Section 90.5 of the Act respecting elections and referendums in municipalities states that the Chief Electoral Officer can adapt certain provisions of the Act subsequent to an error, emergency or exceptional circumstance if they do not meet the demands of the resultant situation. The Chief Electoral officer must first inform the Minister of the Ministère des Affaires municipales.
Despite this special decision-making power, the Chief Electoral Officer does not oversee the work of the returning officers of the municipalities, who are responsible for organizing and holding elections in their municipality.
Who can vote in municipal elections?
To be eligible to vote in the 2025 municipal elections, you must meet these five conditions on polling day, November 2:
- Be entered on the list of electors of your municipality.
- Be 18 years of age or older.
- Be a Canadian citizen.
- Be in one of the following situations:
- Be currently domiciled in the territory of the municipality and have been domiciled in Québec for at least six months.
- Own a building or occupy a business establishment located on the territory of the municipality for at least 45 days.
- Not have lost your election rights.
About Élections Québec
Élections Québec is a non-partisan and independent institution striving to ensure the integrity, transparency, and reliability of elections and to contribute to the vitality of the Québec democracy.
In addition to ensuring the smooth operation of provincial elections, Élections Québec supports municipalities in organizing their elections and ensures the application of the rules on political financing. The institution also acts as a public prosecutor to ensure compliance with Québec electoral legislation.
Appendix: Replacement measures that can be taken by the returning officers of municipalities
Notices of entry
Measure 1
Ensure that regular notices of entry are delivered to every door via other means, such as:
- Another delivery service.
- Election officers or municipal staff.
- Volunteer groups (Scouts, junior hockey teams, etc.).
- Any other means of delivering notices to every door.
Measure 2
This measure has two components. The first allows the returning officer to publicize the measure they are implementing. The second allows electors to confirm their entry on the list of electors.
- Distribute, to every door, a non-personalized information document that includes the contents of the notice of entry concerning the schedule of the board of revisors, information about mobile polling and the ways in which electors can confirm their entry on the list of electors. These means are in addition to consulting the list of electors (without the dates of birth) at the office of the board of revisors.
- Enable electors to confirm their entry on the list of electors:
- In person, at the office of the returning officer or at any other location determined by the returning officer.
- By telephone.
- By using an online verification tool or any other means deemed appropriate by the returning officer (optional).
Measure 3
This measure has two components. The first allows the returning officer to publicize the measure they are implementing. The second allows electors to confirm their entry on the list of electors.
- Take the necessary steps to inform all electors of the ways in which they can confirm their entry on the list of electors. These means are in addition to consulting the list of electors (without the dates of birth) at the office of the board of revisors. To do so, the returning officer can:
- Put up posters in the municipality.
- Get information out through the media (newspapers, radio, social media, etc.).
- Add information to the municipality’s website.
- Enable electors to confirm their entry on the list of electors:
- In person, at the office of the returning officer or at any other location determined by the returning officer.
- By telephone.
- Using an online verification tool or any other means deemed appropriate by the returning officer (optional).
Reminder card
This card is mandatory in municipalities with a population of 20,000 or more.
Measure 1
Ensure delivery of reminder cards to every door by other means, such as:
- Another delivery service.
- Election officers or municipal staff.
- Volunteer groups (Scouts, junior hockey teams, etc.).
- Any other means of delivering the reminder card to every door.
Measure 2
Make it possible to confirm the polling place by telephone, and disseminate the telephone number as widely as possible.
The returning officer must also:
- Post the list of addresses and their corresponding polling places on the municipality’s website.
- Post signs in the municipality indicating the addresses or polling subdivisions (in the form of cards, for example) and the corresponding polling places.
Voting by mail kit
The transmission of voting by mail kits is mandatory. The returning officer must therefore use another delivery service.
The returning officer must also inform electors that a Canada Post strike is currently underway and that they must use an alternate service to return their ballot papers before October 31 at 4:30 p.m. Electors can bring their ballot papers to the office of the returning officer within that same time frame.
