Elections Canada says pens or pencils welcome when marking ballots

Elections Canada is hoping to clear up confusion for what voters need to use when marking their ballots. 

In response to social media posts making the rounds, Elections Canada says a claim that voters must use pencils when marking their ballots isn’t true. 

According to their website, the inaccurate or misleading information they’ve observed is that people need to use pens to make sure their vote counts. 

“If I use a pencil to mark my ballot, my choice can be smudged or erased or my vote not properly counted.” 

According to Elections Canada, if the ballot is marked properly, with a pen or a pencil, the vote will be counted. 

Posts on social media have been telling people to bring pens to use on their ballots for fear of their ballots either not being counted or being changed if a pencil was used. 

Pencils will be provided to vote with at polling stations, but people are encouraged to bring pens if they like. 


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