Voters lists
Voters lists contain the names of people who were eligible to vote in an election, which can be useful to trace adult members of families. Use this page to learn how to search and access voters lists.
On this page
Before you start
Gather useful information such as:
- place or electoral district
- election year
- names of adults eligible to vote
Places to look
Archival sources
LAC has federal voters lists of the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer for Canada (RG 113) from 1935 to 1988. Use the index of microform reels in the Finding Aid section of the records below to determine which districts are on which microform reel for each election.
The voters lists are arranged alphabetically by the name of the electoral district within each province and territory. Within the electoral districts, the lists are further arranged by polling station.
Notes for specific years:
- Voters lists from 1935 to 1974 are indexed by name and digitized on Ancestry (subscription required; free at many public libraries). The 1979 and 1980 lists are available to browse but are not indexed by name.
- There are no full lists for the 1980 federal election. The voters' lists from the 1979 election were reused with additions. As 1980 lists contain only the additions, they must be used in conjunction with the 1979 lists.
- For 1984 and 1988, contact LAC’s Genealogy team by filling out our Ask us a question online form.
- Voters lists after 1988 are still with Elections Canada.
- LAC also holds a few local voters lists. Use Collection search to find other voters lists (use the * wild card character, e.g. voter*).
Published sources
Many voters lists have been transcribed and published. Search for books on voters lists in Aurora using the following titles or subject keywords:
- Voters lists
- Voters list
- Voting registers
- List of electors
To help you with your research, our staff have compiled a list of books in our Aurora catalogue.
Many of these books include information about electoral districts. Others are research guides and history books on the subject.
Each title in this list includes the author and the LAC call number.
- If the call number includes the word Reference or Genealogy, the book is in the Reference or Genealogy rooms at our Ottawa location.
- Example of a call number: Reference - JL167 H57 1993 or Genealogy Ref. - CS88 BC1 V52 1984
You can click on a title in the list to open the full catalogue entry. If you scroll down, you will see a list of other libraries that hold copies. You can also check your local library’s online catalogue.
Search tips
Find the name of the electoral district for the election year:
-
Canadian Almanac & Directory
- The annual almanac includes an alphabetical list of places (post offices) that show electoral districts
-
Guide to Electoral districts
- Useful for the 1972 and 1979 general elections
-
Federal Voters Lists in Western Canada, 1935-1979, A Finding Aid by David Obee
- For Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon and the Northwest Territories
- Federal Voters Lists in Ontario, 1935-1979: A Finding Aid by David Obee
-
Street Index for major cities in Canada
- Starting in 1966, the Chief Electoral Officer published a series of volumes providing house numbers and street names by electoral district. Search in Aurora and enter "street index" as a title keyword
- The Library of Parliament website includes a list of ridings represented in the House of Commons from 1867 to today. Instead of “currently active”, select “all” (active and not active)
- The Post Offices and Postmasters: 1851 – 1981 database
If you can’t find someone in voters lists, here are some potential reasons why:
- Voting age was 21 for many years. In 1970, it was lowered to 18.
- Various elections laws or acts established who was eligible to vote. Many citizens were excluded based on race and religion until after the Second World War.
- Inuit could vote starting in 1950, but ballot boxes were not brought into the high Arctic until the 1962 election.
- Starting in 1960, First Nations peoples could vote without losing status under the Indian Act.
- Newfoundland and Labrador joined Canada in 1949 and is included in federal elections starting in that same year.
- People were sometimes missed for inclusion on the list if they moved from one place to another, or due to residing in a remote location.
Access the records
Digitized records
If you find a record of interest, there may be a digital image. Some digitized microforms are available through Héritage.
Records that are not digitized
For records that are not digitized, you will need to see them in person. If you cannot visit us in person, you may want to order copies or hire a researcher.
References to federal government records found in our Collection Search database indicate if a record is open (access code 90) or restricted (access code 32). To find the access code in an item description, click on “Ordering and viewing options,” then “Conditions of access.”
If the item is restricted, you can submit a request to our Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) team to obtain a copy.
Related links
- Many provincial and territorial archives hold voters lists for provincial elections.
- City, municipal or regional archives may hold lists for local elections. Search for other voters lists in ArchivesCanada.ca, using the keyword term "listes électorales", "voters lists" or "voting registers".
- The Canadian Directories Collection lists adult residents alphabetically and indicates occupation and address, or rural land description.
- Census records are official records that count the country’s population.
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