In April, contrasting posts from X users claimed the ballots for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's riding would be counted digitally or by voting machine, or that it would be the only riding to be counted by hand. Both claims are false. In Canada, federal election ballots in each riding are counted by hand and Elections Canada does not use electronic voting machines.Ìý
THE CLAIMÌý
This month several posts on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, claimed the ballot for the Ottawa riding of Carleton, where Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is running, would be counted differently in the 2025 federal election because of its length.Ìý
"How is this thing going to even fit inside the machine without having a jam or an error?" in a video from April 18, suggesting the ballot would be counted by a voting machine.Ìý
Another user , "So Pierre’s riding is the only riding that will not be counted digitally."
Both X posts included videos of the unusually long ballot for Carleton, a result of the plan by electoral reform advocacy group the Longest Ballot Committee as Independents.Ìý
RATING: FalseÌý
Canada does not use voting machines in federal elections. Electors record their vote using a paper ballot.Ìý
"Elections Canada … have never used voting machines or electronic tabulators to count votes in our 100-year history," in 2020.Ìý
According to Elections Canada, in front of "candidates' representatives or other designated observers."Ìý
Per the , another election officer and either a candidate, candidate's representative or at least two electors must be present during the counting of votes.Ìý
Once workers tally up the vote — a public process that requires staff to say aloud the names marked on each ballot — they send the paper tally to the returning officer.Ìý
The returning officer records the vote counts, not the paper ballots, into a "computerized results aggregation and reporting system," which sends the information to Elections Canada.Ìý
In his remarks to the House committee on procedure and House affairs in November, noted the long ballots resulting from the Longest Ballot Committee could provide to voters.Ìý
"We have now reached the point where any further increase to the number of candidates will require me to reduce the font size on the ballot … . Marking and counting modified ballots takes longer and is more complex for voters and election workers," he said.Ìý
SOURCES
Claims posted to X (, ) and (, )
Darren Major. Longest ballot protest targets Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's riding. CBC News . April 7, 2025 ()
Elections Canada information about electronic voting Nov. 16, 2020 ()
Vote counting and results. Elections Canada . Accessed April 22, 2025 ()Ìý
Canada Elections Act section 283: Counting the votes. Government of Canada . Accessed April 22, 2025 ()
Chief Electoral Officer of Canada. Elections Canada . Accessed April 22, 2025 ()
Remarks of the Chief Electoral Officer Before the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs on Bill C-65, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act. Elections Canada . Nov. 21, 2024 ()
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