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We rely on multiple oversight measures to ensure that the electoral process remains secure, reliable, and non-partisan. Your ballot paper is protected from the moment you place it in the ballot box. No one can change your vote. Learn about the various steps involved in the counting of the votes, leading to the release of preliminary results and the election of the candidate who received the most votes.
All electors vote using ballot papers that election officers count by hand. During provincial elections, there are no voting or counting machines, no electronic voting, and no Internet voting. That said, pilot projects may be launched in the next few years.
During a provincial general election, Élections Québec’s returning officers hire more than 60,000 temporary employees across all electoral divisions to safeguard our democracy. These citizens help ensure that elections run smoothly. They receive training and take an oath to faithfully and honestly perform their assigned duties.
Election officers count the votes cast for each candidate of an electoral division. Votes cast on election day are counted after the polling stations close at 8 p.m. If electors are queuing up to vote at 8 p.m., they can vote after that time. In this case, the polling station closes when all these people have voted, and then the counting begins.
On election day, the counting of votes cast at advance polls may begin as early as 6 p.m. This explains why the first results are sometimes released very soon after the polling stations close. But even if the votes in some ballot boxes have already been counted, no results can be released until the polling stations close at 8 p.m.
When counting the content of a ballot box, no one is left alone with the ballots. It is a security measure. That is why election officers always work in teams of two.
Candidates may attend the counting of the votes or assign a representative for the polling station. However, neither candidates nor their representatives may handle ballot boxes or ballot papers. They simply observe the proceedings.
The deputy returning officer of a polling station is responsible for hand counting the ballots, with the assistance of the poll clerk. Here are their main tasks:
The ballot boxes used for advance polls are stored under supervision until the votes are counted. These boxes must be kept in a secure location protected by an alarm system or a security guard.
The ballot boxes remain sealed until election day. At the end of each advance polling day, all corners of the ballot box and its opening are covered with stickers that cannot be removed without leaving a trace. All those present (including the candidates and representatives) initial these stickers. No ballot papers may be altered, added or removed without leaving a trace on the ballot box.
On election day, the counting of votes cast at advance polls may begin as early as 6 p.m. This explains why the first results are sometimes released very soon after the polling stations close. But even if the votes in some ballot boxes have already been counted, no results can be released until the polling stations close at 8 p.m.
The steps involved in counting the votes cast at advance polls are the same as those described above. In addition, people participating in or observing the counting of votes cast at advance polls are not allowed to leave the room or to communicate the results to anyone not involved in the count until the polling stations close. Thus, they cannot influence voters who have not voted yet.
Advance polling cover votes cast:
The steps involved in counting votes cast by electors in a custodial facility or abroad are similar to those described above. Election officers work in teams of two. Ballot papers are accepted or rejected and then counted in the same manner. The results are recorded on the statement of votes. Once counted, the ballot papers are placed back in the ballot box, which is then sealed and initialled by all those present (election officers, candidates, and representatives).
Certain checks must be conducted before a postal vote can be accepted. The registration process makes it possible to verify whether a person is a qualified elector. Élections Québec staff can confirm an elector’s identity by comparing the signatures appearing on the copies of identification documents they submitted with the one appearing on the return envelope containing the ballot paper. Only then is the envelope containing the ballot paper placed in a ballot box. An elector who has requested a kit for voting abroad cannot vote in Québec.
During the 2022 general provincial election, to facilitate voting in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, access to postal voting was temporarily extended to two groups of electors:
Security measures were put in place to verify that each requested postal voting kit was sent to a qualified elector for that person’s use. Staff members conducted various checks before counting votes cast by mail.
On voting days, election officers at polling stations use a list of electors that indicates which electors have already voted. On this list, any person who requested a postal voting kit was marked as having voted.
If a person is marked on the list of electors as having voted but claims not to have voted, they are required to make a sworn declaration and sign the form provided. This made it possible to detect any electors who voted by mail and then tried to vote a second time at their polling place. Such persons could also face a fine.
As with the counting of votes cast at an advance poll or on election day, candidates and their representatives could observe the counting of votes cast by mail.
On election day, the counting of votes cast at advance polls may begin as early as 6 p.m. This explains why the first results are sometimes released very soon after the polling stations close. But even if the votes in some ballot boxes have already been counted, no results can be released until the polling stations close at 8 p.m.
Returning officers are responsible for organizing and conducting elections in their electoral division. On election night, they compile all the results for their division. They enter the results based on the copy of the statement of votes for each ballot box, which allows us to release results to the media and on our website as they come in.
The results released on election night are preliminary. The results are made official, a few days later, at the declaration of election, which takes place following the addition of the votes and after the time limit for filing an application for a judicial recount has expired.
Media outlets often make projections and predictions while the counting of the votes is still ongoing. Sometimes, they declare that certain candidates have been elected before all the votes have been counted.
These announcements have no influence on the counting of the votes: all ballot papers in all ballot boxes must be counted. The results posted on the Élections Québec website are updated throughout the night until all preliminary results have been reported.
No machines or software applications are used when validating and certifying the results. The contents of the ballot boxes are not counted again during the addition of the votes. Élections Québec cannot, on its own initiative, open a ballot box to validate the outcome of an election. This power is reserved for the courts.
The official addition of the vote consists of adding up the votes recorded on all the statements of votes. All candidates running in the electoral division (or their representatives) as well as electors may attend.
The day after the election, the returning officer opens each ballot box to collect the original copy of the statement of votes before reading the results out loud. Anyone present is allowed to compare these results with those listed on the carbon copies from the previous day, including those used to announce the preliminary results.
At this point, the results released on election night can be adjusted if the addition of the votes reveals a discrepancy between the information released and the copies of the statement of votes.
Once the addition of the votes is complete, the returning officer will declare elected the person who received the most votes. The ballot boxes are then closed and sealed.
If no applications for a judicial recount are filed within the four days following the addition of the votes, the returning officer declares elected the candidate who received the most votes.
The returning officer sends the declaration of election and the result of the addition of the votes to the Chief Electoral Officer. The declaration of election is an important official document; it is required for sitting in the Assemblée nationale.
After providing the Secretary General of the Assemblée nationale with a list of candidates declared elected, the Chief Electoral Officer publishes a notice in the Gazette officielle du Québec listing the surnames and given names of all elected candidates, along with their political affiliation and the name of their electoral division. We publish the official election results on our website.
We retain all ballot papers, statements of votes, annotated lists of electors, and poll books for one year. These documents are kept under seal; they can only be accessed by the courts, if necessary. After a year has passed, ballot papers are shredded and recycled. Élections Québec cannot, on its own initiative, open a ballot box to validate the outcome of an election.
After this period, ballot papers are shredded and recycled. Since they cannot be reused, ballot boxes are also recycled.
In general, the results clearly show who is elected. However, sometimes a judicial recount of the ballots is required.
Within the four days following the addition of the votes, an application for a judicial recount may be filed with the Court of Québec by:
The returning officer is responsible for taking the necessary steps to ensure that ballot boxes are stored securely until the end of this period.
If an application for a judicial recount is filed and granted by the Court, a judge will oversee a recount of the votes. The count must begin within four days of the judgment. Once the Court confirms the results, the returning officer will declare elected the candidate who received the most votes.
We release results for individual polling stations as early as possible, generally after the declaration of election has been issued for the winning candidate. Within a few months, we publish this information in a report on the official results of the poll, which is tabled in the Assemblée nationale.
To find out more about polling station results and how to interpret them, please visit the Provincial election results by polling station page.
Electors vote using paper ballots that election officers count by hand. During municipal elections, there are no voting or counting machines, no electronic voting, and no Internet voting. That said, pilot projects may be launched in the next few years.
During general municipal elections, the returning officer of each municipality hires temporary employees to safeguard our democracy. Thousands of citizens across Québec help ensure elections run smoothly. They receive training and take an oath to faithfully and honestly perform their assigned duties.
The votes cast for each candidate for each elected position are counted. The count takes place after the polling stations close at 8 p.m. on election night.
The ballot boxes used for advance polls are sealed and stored under supervision until the votes are counted. The counting of the votes cast at advance polls may begin at 8 p.m. on election day.
Deputy returning officers and poll clerks are responsible for counting the votes. They manually count all the ballot papers that electors have placed in the ballot box. They then write the number of votes cast for each candidate on the statement of votes. They also record the number of rejected, cancelled and unused ballots. The total number of ballots must correspond to the number of blank ballots received at the beginning of the day. The deputy returning officers and poll clerks then return the ballots to the ballot box.
For security reasons, no one is allowed to be alone with the ballot papers during the counting of the votes in a ballot box. This means that election officers always work in teams of two.
Candidates may attend the count or assign a representative for the polling station. They never handle ballot boxes or ballot papers; they simply observe the proceedings. They can obtain a copy of the statement of votes from each ballot box.
Returning officers compile all the results for their municipality using their copy of the statement of votes from each ballot box.
On election night, municipalities can publish preliminary results in a variety of ways, including on their website. Some municipalities may choose to wait until the addition of the votes has ended before releasing the results.
Media outlets covering election night make projections and predictions that may lead them to declare that certain candidates have been elected before all the votes have been counted. These announcements have no influence on the counting of the votes: all ballot papers in all ballot boxes must be counted.
A few days later, the results are made official at the declaration of election, which takes place following the addition of the votes and after the deadline for filing an application for a judicial recount has expired.
The votes from all statements of votes are added. The returning officer performs this task.
Most of the time, the addition takes place on election night, after the counting of the votes. In some municipalities, this is done the day after or within four days of the election. The preliminary results can then be modified if the addition of the votes reveals a discrepancy between the information released and the copies of the statement of votes.
When the addition of the votes is complete, the returning officer announces the results to those present.
The addition of the votes is open to the public. All candidates, their representatives, and electors may attend.
Municipalities can send us their detailed results so that we can publish them on our website. However, they are under no obligation to do so. To find out more about municipal election results, visit the Municipal results page.
Following the four-day deadline for filing an application for a judicial recount, the returning officer declares the election of the candidate who has obtained the most votes.
As soon as possible after the declaration of election, returning officers must issue a public notice listing the person elected to each position. They must send a copy of this notice to Élections Québec.
Municipalities keep ballot papers for one year. These are kept under seal, so no one can access them, except the courts, if necessary. Élections Québec and municipalities cannot, on their own initiative, open a ballot box to validate the outcome of an election.
It is sometimes necessary to recount ballot papers during a judicial recount.
When an application for a judicial recount is filed and granted by the court, a judge oversees the recount of the votes. The court is then responsible for the ballot boxes, their contents, and all other documents delivered to it. The count must begin within four days of the judgment. When the court confirms the result of the votes, the returning officer declares the election of the person with the most votes.
Electors vote using paper ballots that election officers count by hand. During school elections, there are no voting or counting machines, no electronic voting, and no Internet voting. That said, pilot projects may be launched in the next few years.
The returning officer of each school board hires temporary employees to safeguard our democracy. Citizens across Québec help ensure elections run smoothly. They receive training and take an oath to faithfully and honestly perform their assigned duties.
The votes cast for each candidate for each elected position are counted. The count takes place after the polling stations close at 8 p.m. on election night.
The ballot boxes used for advance polls are sealed and stored under supervision until the votes are counted. The counting of the votes cast at advance polls may begin at 8 p.m. on election day.
Deputy returning officers and poll clerks are responsible for counting the votes. They manually count all the ballot papers that electors have placed in the ballot box, then they write the number of votes cast for each candidate on the statement of votes. They also record the number of rejected, cancelled and unused ballots. The total number of ballots must correspond to the number of blank ballots received at the beginning of the day. The deputy returning officers and poll clerks then put the ballots back in the ballot box.
For security reasons, no one is allowed to be alone with the ballot papers during the counting of the votes in a ballot box. This means that election officers always work in teams of two.
Candidates may attend the count or assign a representative for the polling station. They never handle ballot boxes or ballot papers; they simply observe the proceedings. They can obtain a copy of the statement of votes from each ballot box.
The votes from all statements of votes are added. The returning officer performs this task on election night, after the counting of the votes. Then, he or she announces the results to those present, as the addition of the votes is open to the public. All candidates, their representatives, and electors may attend.
Élections Québec does not publish school election results on its website. To find out more about election results, read the page Results and statistics.
A few days later, the results are made official at the declaration of election, which takes place following the addition of the votes and after the deadline for filing an application for a judicial recount has expired.
Following the four-day deadline for filing an application for a judicial recount, the returning officer declares the election of the candidates who have obtained the most votes. This makes their election official. The returning officer must send a copy of the declaration of election to Élections Québec.
As soon as possible after the declaration of election, returning officers must issue a public notice listing the person elected to each position.
School boards keep ballot papers for one year. These are kept under seal, so no one can access them, except the courts, if necessary. Élections Québec and school boards cannot, on their own initiative, open a ballot box to validate the outcome of an election.
It is sometimes necessary to recount ballot papers during a judicial recount.
For four days after the addition of the votes, a judicial recount request may be filed with the Court of Québec by:
When an application for a judicial recount is filed and granted by the court, a judge oversees the recount of the votes. The court is then responsible for the ballot boxes, their contents, and all other documents delivered to it. The count must begin within four days of the judgment. When the court confirms the result of the votes, the returning officer declares the election of the person with the most votes.
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