The number of Canadians who voted by special ballot from overseas more than tripled in the decade up to 2025, data from Elections Canada shows.
A total of 101,690 special ballots were issued to international voters last year, with 57,440 counted as valid, according to official Elections Canada data first covered by Blacklock’s Reporter. Almost half of the special ballot voting kits were sent to the United States last year, with a total of 49,462 issued, followed by 12,871 sent to voters in the United Kingdom, and 4,469 sent to electors in Australia.
Special ballots allow Canadians to cast their vote during an election even when they are travelling, living abroad, away for school or work, in the Canadian Armed Forces, or incarcerated, according to Elections Canada. The ballots do not include a list of candidates running in a voter’s riding, and instead include a blank space where the voter writes the name of their chosen candidate….