Elections Canada is responding to concerns that voters who use a pencil to cast their votes could leave their ballot open to potential tampering.
The agency took to social media over the weekend to respond to posts on social media platform X that encouraged Canadians to bring their own pen or sharpie to the ballot box to ensure their vote isn’t altered.
“We are still seeing posts where people are claiming that you have to use a pencil to mark your ballot. Not true!” Elections Canada said on both Facebook and X.
The agency shared a link to its website, which includes information challenging the idea that a ballot marked with pencil could be smudged or erased, thereby rendering it invalid.
Poll workers are legally required to offer voters black-lead pencils because pens can malfunction by drying up or leaking, the agency said, which could compromise a ballot’s integrity. That does not mean voters must use the pencil provided, however.
“So long as your ballot is marked properly, it will be counted,” the Elections Canada website says. “In a federal election, nothing prevents you from using your own pen or other writing tool to mark your ballot.”
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Elections Canada also outlined the process it has in place to ensure the integrity of each election.
Marked ballots are never handled by election workers unless the voter or witnesses are present, the agency said. Ballot boxes are secured with an official seal, which is signed by election personnel. This seal is only broken when the ballots are counted on election night.
“All ballots are counted by pairs of paid election workers and, by law, the counting is done in front of witnesses who do not work for Elections Canada (usually candidates’ representatives),” the agency said. “The witnesses observe each step, including the breaking of the seal on the ballot box and the removal and counting of each individual ballot.”
The ballots are subsequently opened individually and are shown to everyone in attendance to ensure there are no chances for workers to smear or modify the marks made by the voters, Elections Canada said.
Advance polling is currently underway in Canada, running from April 18 to April 21 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day with election day just one week away on April 28.
The snap election was called by Prime Minister Mark Carney on March 23, just nine days after being sworn into office and six months ahead of the predetermined federal election date.
The new Liberal leader will square off against Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, and the Green Party’s Elizabeth May and Jonathan Pedneault.
