Elections and Overseas Voting Information
Voting in the 2023 Referendum (Canada)
On 14 October 2023, Australians will be asked to vote in a referendum to alter the Constitution.
The Australian High Commission in Ottawa and our Consulates in Toronto and Vancouver will be in-person voting and postal vote collection centres. All eligible Australians living in or visiting Canada will be able to vote.
To be eligible to vote, you must be enrolled. To enrol, check or update your enrolment details, including cut off times visit https://www.aec.gov.au/Enrolling_to_vote/overseas/index.htm.
In-person voting
In-person voting will be held at the High Commission in Ottawa and our Consulates in Toronto and Vancouver from Monday 2 October to Friday 13 October from 9:00am to 12:00pm and 1:00pm to 4:00pm (excluding weekends and Thanksgiving Day – Monday 9 October). Please refer to table below for locations and voting details.
Postal voting
If you are overseas and are unable to vote in-person, you can apply for a postal vote. Postal vote packs will be sent to you from Australia by courier, so you are encouraged to apply as early as possible. Please note that Postal vote packs will be sent from Australia to your overseas address free of charge, but you are responsible for return postage.
You can return your completed postal vote directly to the AEC in Australia or you can drop it off at the High Commission in Ottawa or Consulates in Toronto and Vancouver no later than close of business on Friday 13 October.
It is not compulsory to vote if you are not in Australia at the time of the referendum. If you will be overseas at the time and unable to vote, you can advise the AEC by completing and returning the Overseas Notification Form.
Additional information on the referendum and voting is available from the AEC website and Smartraveller.
|
LOCATION |
In-Person Voting |
Postal Vote Collection |
|
OTTAWA * Please note, this location will be closed on Thanksgiving Day (Monday 9 October 2023) and no voting services will be available. |
Yes
|
Yes (during in-person voting hours) Postal vote address: 50 O’Connor Street Suite 1301, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6L2 |
|
Suite 603, North Tower (6th floor)
* Please note, this location will be closed on Thanksgiving Day (Monday 9 October 2023) and no voting services will be available. |
Yes |
Yes (during in-person voting hours)
Postal vote address: Australian Consulate Suite 1100, South Tower Toronto, ON M4W 3R8 |
|
VANCOUVER 1075 West Georgia Street Vancouver, BC V6E 3C9. In-person Voting dates & hours Mon-Fri 9:00am to 12:00pm and 1:00pm - 4:00pm* * Please note, this location will be closed on Thanksgiving Day (Monday 9 October 2023) and no voting services will be available. |
Yes |
Yes (during in-person voting hours) Postal vote address: 2050-1075 W Georgia Street Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6E 3C9. |
The official referendum booklet and Yes/No referendum pamphlet
The official referendum booklet is available on the AEC website.
The booklet comprises a 4-page guide outlining how to participate in the referendum, and a 16-page pamphlet presenting the case for voting ‘Yes’ and the case for voting ‘No’.
The AEC was not involved in the development of the content of the ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ cases appearing in the pamphlet.
The ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ cases were prepared and authorised by parliamentarians who voted for and against the proposed law to alter the Constitution, and published without amendment or fact-checking by the AEC
State and Territory Elections
Please contact your state or territory electoral authority for information about registering and voting in a state/territory elections while overseas.
ACT - http://www.elections.act.gov.au/
NSW - http://www.elections.nsw.gov.au/
NT - http://www.ntec.nt.gov.au/
QLD - https://www.ecq.qld.gov.au/
SA - http://www.ecsa.sa.gov.au/
TAS - http://www.tec.tas.gov.au/
VIC - https://www.vec.vic.gov.au/
WA - https://www.elections.wa.gov.au/