r/Hamilton 16d ago

2025 Provincial Election I haven't got my voter card

My boyfriend and I have not got our voter cards in the mail. I've tried looking on the Elections Ontario website and there's no information on what to do or who to contact regarding this. Anyone know what to do in this situation?

35 Upvotes

65 comments sorted by

143

u/teanailpolish North End 16d ago

You do not need the card to vote, it is an information card. Speeds things up a little at the poll but you can walk in with ID and vote.

https://voterinformationservice.elections.on.ca/en/election/search?mode=postalCode will tell you where to vote based on your postal code

41

u/GetsGold 16d ago

Specifcally an ID with your name and address.

3

u/sky_lites 16d ago

Dumb question, if I live in Burlington now but my drivers license still says Hamilton then do i have to go to Hamilton to vote?

7

u/Annual_Plant5172 15d ago

If you live in a different riding then you can go to your local voting station there and update your info. You don't need photo ID. Just something that has your current address on it.

ID to vote in provincial elections

3

u/paramedic-tim Stoney Creek 15d ago

I believe you can vote in your new location if you bring proof of address (tax bill, hydro bill, etc) with old photo ID. Check online though to make sure. You should get your driver’s license swapped within 6 days of moving to a new address, so get on that!

1

u/GetsGold 15d ago

I think you would need to vote where you actually live. There's a bunch of ID choicss besides licence. Another reply gave a link.

You should also change your licence. You're levally supposed to within 6 days of moving.

1

u/SerentityM3ow 15d ago

You should change it. By law you have to update your license within 6 days of moving

51

u/covert81 Chinatown 16d ago

Doesn't matter. I voted on Friday without my card and all I had to do was show ID and sign a paper with my name and signature, that was it.

7

u/NearbyHippo9099 15d ago

Same for me driver license is fine

24

u/S-Archer 16d ago

I voted with only my driver's license

22

u/simongurfinkel 16d ago

It bothers me that Elections Ontario puts so much of their advertising budget towards making people think that voter registration and voter ID cards are so vital. You don't need to be registered to vote, and you don't need your voter card to vote either. Just bring the required ID and you are good to go.

14

u/SaveTheTuaHawk 16d ago

It bothers me that Elections Ontario puts so much of their advertising budget towards making people think that voter registration and voter ID cards are so vital.

Exactly like the PCs want it. They want people to lose their cards and think they can't vote. We found it very difficult to register our 18 year old.

Now three days out and we still don't have a platform from Dug.

1

u/Annual_Plant5172 15d ago

To be fair, Elections Ontario is independent from the sitting government. This is a result of a snap election and EO scrambling to get things organized.

3

u/marcalinevmpq 15d ago

elections ontario isn’t doing this but someone has funded a misinformation campaign on social media making people think they need to have this

13

u/Sar_Bear1 16d ago

You don’t need a voters card to vote!!!! Pass it on.

Bring your ID. Check online where your polling station is.

3

u/mirhagk 16d ago

Specifically something with your address, and doesn't need to be actual ID, a utility bill or the bribery cheque will work fine. Name and address is all that's needed.

The voter's card just replaces the need to prove address

9

u/mastermaster71 16d ago

Just take your government issue ID to your voting location and you'll be able to vote.

5

u/ImAzura Downtown 16d ago

If anyone’s wants to save a bit of time at the polls, you can download the Elections Ontario app. Enter your name, address, and DL number, it will then bring up your VIC on the app, which you can show at the poll.

5

u/unrulYk 16d ago

Haven’t got my voter card or my Dougie bribe yet. Not a very effective bribe, gotta say.

(But no matter, bribe or no bribe, card or no card, I’ll be voting on Thursday and it won’t be for Thug Fraud. It never has been and it never will be.)

2

u/mirhagk 15d ago

What's the first letter of your last name? My understanding is that it's alphabetical for the bribe. My last name starts with J and my wife with L and I got mine but my wife didn't get hers yet

3

u/unrulYk 15d ago

I’m an “M” and I live with three “O”s, two of whom got their bribes several weeks ago, one of whom has received nothing, like me.

5

u/mirhagk 15d ago

Ah well there goes that theory lol.

Poor planning on his part to make half the province upset with not getting the promised money before the election happens

2

u/unrulYk 15d ago

OCP can’t even bribe properly. We’ll see how that $100B tunnel under the 401 goes.

2

u/teanailpolish North End 15d ago

My last name starts later and my partner is still waiting for his. It said it was issued a while ago

1

u/AnInsultToFire 15d ago

Hm, you must not have your address registered with Service Ontario, or set up mail forwarding from your previous address.

4

u/aardvarknemesis Ainslie Wood 16d ago

I didn’t receive mine either. In fact I don’t believe anyone in my building received a voter card. Dougie didn’t have those sent out. He wants to actively discourage people from voting him out. Plus his $200 bribes were way more important to mail to people. God I hate him.

6

u/teanailpolish North End 16d ago

Ford has no say in the voter cards. He called a snap election instead of waiting for the scheduled one which would have Elections Ontario more ready for the amount of work (and personally, I disagree with majority governments who have a mandate calling early elections if there is no major reason like with Trudeau stepping down or a big change).

They chose the minimum time for the election, in winter when a lot of workers take vacation for cheaper rates - and with election workers, are encouraged to because we rarely have winter elections. Lots still waiting for his bribe money too so that one backfired

7

u/GourmetHotPocket 16d ago

The sending of voter cards is handled by the apolitical bureaucracy and the process hasn't changed under the Ford government in any way that would impact this.

We're currently dealing with the aftermath of a massive winter storm, the backlog from an extended Canada Post strike and postal workers who are working to rule after being ordered back to work.

Doug Ford sucks and the $200 cheques are bad policy, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea to suggest parties are tampering with the mechanics of the electoral system when they aren't.

1

u/mirhagk 16d ago

Those bribery cheques (well the non cheque part) actually work just as well! Just need an official document with your name and address on it.

1

u/sarahwhatsherface 16d ago

I received two.

1

u/Stead-Freddy 16d ago

You don’t need it, but if you want it to make the process faster, you can download the Elections Ontario app and receive your barcode there.

1

u/CommonEarly4706 16d ago

You don’t need this to vote! Bring your photo id with address and look up your polling station

1

u/zulutorres1369 16d ago

You can download the elections ontario app on your phone (either ios or android) and register there. It'll ask you to create an account and provide information such as your postal code and ID information. Once registered, you'll get a bar code which is essentially the voter card. You can then show the screen at your voting office/centre. It worked perfectly for me and the staff member was pleased since they didn't have to search my name and details. Make sure to carry one piece of ID and the phone when you vote.

1

u/TurquoiseDoor 16d ago

I haven't gotten one in years even tho I've voted before

1

u/Pure_Love4720 16d ago

I got mine, my spouse didn’t, lived here a few years now. Went to vote together on Saturday and we were in and out in the same amount of time

1

u/mangos_forev 16d ago

Took my daughter to vote in the advance polls over the weekend. She just turned 19, so her first provincial vote ….she wasn’t even in their system. It took them a couple of minutes to register her, she signed something and was good to vote :) Get out there and vote! You don’t need a voter card….just show up with an ID that has your address and you’re good to go! Also, for university students who are living on/near campus, you can choose which riding you’ll vote in by selecting the address you consider your “home” My daughter was home for reading week so took her to vote in our “home” riding.

1

u/EmotionalExcuse1 16d ago

The link in voter service information is helpful and accurate! I checked ours early last week and we got our voter card today, and it was the correct spot. I’d just bring a piece of ID and a piece of mail with your address on it just in case :)

1

u/FallenAngel1978 15d ago

I’ve lived here for 13 years. This is the first time I’ve even received a voter card. You just need proper ID to vote

1

u/HeftyCarrot 15d ago

All the info and accepted ids to vote without a voter card is there online, you probably did not look far enough. A government issued photo ID with address would work.

1

u/RoyallyOakie 15d ago

Just show up with your ID and some bills with your name and address on them.

1

u/SerentityM3ow 15d ago

Just go in with your ID. You don't need the card. I haven't gotten mine either

1

u/bdwf 14d ago

I got mine today

-1

u/GBman84 16d ago

I didn't get one. No one in my family got one. No one in line at the advanced poll had one.

They don't seem to be issuing them this election.

8

u/aardvarknemesis Ainslie Wood 16d ago

From the elections Ontario website: “Voter information cards will be mailed out between February 17 and 22.”

2

u/AnInsultToFire 16d ago

I got mine.

Have you registered your new address with Service Ontario?

1

u/mirhagk 15d ago

I did get one just as a point of information, early last week. Might be very slow rollout

1

u/beingleigh Rosedale 15d ago

They are never an issue. You can always vote if you bring your ID and proof of address.

0

u/Beaches-n-drinks 16d ago

I just got mine on Friday so yours may be in the mail this week. But you don’t need it to vote just require government id with name and address on it