What you need to know to cast your ballot in the federal election

The federal election is Oct. 21, but Elections Canada is providing lots of options for Canadians to cast a ballot if they can't be in their home riding to vote on election day.

You are eligible to vote if you are a Canadian citizen and at least 18 years old on election day.

The first thing to do is to make sure you are registered to vote. There will be no enumeration this year.

You should receive a voter information card in the next week or two confirming you are on the voterslist, and where you should vote. You can check now if you are on the list, or update your listing, on the Elections Canada website.

If you can't vote in your home riding on election day an advance poll may be a possibility for you. Advance polling days are:

• Friday, Oct. 11.
• Saturday, Oct. 12.
• Sunday, Oct. 13.
• Monday, Oct. 14.

You can vote even if you are not on the list. You register at the poll, and then vote.

All you need to prove your identity and address in order to vote is your driver's licence or other ID issued by a Canadian government (federal, provincial/territorial or local) that includes photo, name and address. If you don't have a government ID, there is a long list of acceptable ID here.

If I'm a student, where do I vote?

Elections Canada will be setting up polling stations at campuses across Canada.

On P.E.I. there will be one in the board room of the Centre for Applied Science and Technology at Holland College in Charlottetown, and one in Bill and Denise Andrew Hall at UPEI. These polls will operate from Oct. 5-9.

Students will be able to vote in their home riding by special ballot, or they may choose to vote in the riding where they are going to school. Elections Canada provides this guidance for students trying to decide what riding to vote in.

"Your place of residence or home address is where you ordinarily live, where you think of as home or have adopted as home."

If you can't vote at an advance poll or campus poll, special ballots are also available at Elections Canada offices at more than 500 locations across Canada. You can vote by special ballot at any one of them up until Oct. 15 at 6 p.m. Here are the P.E.I. locations.

• Emerald Community Centre, Emerald.
• County Fair Mall, Summerside.
• BDC Place, Charlottetown.
• 56 Crescent Lane, Brudenell.

Bring your ID with you.

If you are abroad, or if it is more convenient for you, you can vote by mail.

You can find instructions for voting by mail here. Voting by mail is available until Oct. 15.

More P.E.I. news