What does the secret ballot guarantee?
- No one can watch you vote or look at how you voted
- Only party members can see results
- You must tell your family how you voted
- Your vote is shared with your employer
Answer: No one can watch you vote or look at how you voted
Canadian law protects the secret ballot: no one can watch you vote, and no one should look at how you voted. You may tell others your choice if you want to, but no one, including your family, employer or union representative, can insist that you tell them.
Learn more: The secret ballot
- Canadian law secures the right to a secret ballot.
- No one can watch you vote, and no one should look at how you voted.
- You may choose to discuss how you voted, but no one, including family members, your employer or a union representative, can insist that you tell them.
- Right after the polling stations close, election officers count the ballots.
- Results are announced on radio, television and in newspapers, and posted on the Elections Canada website (www.elections.ca).