British Columbia

Advance polls for Canada federal election open today

Voters can cast advance ballots from noon to 8 p.m. over next four days.

Voters can cast advance ballots from noon to 8 p.m. over next four days

Ballot
Advance polls are open for the next four days across Canada. (CBC)

Advance polling gets underway today across the country, signaling that election day is inching closer.

Advance polls will be open from noon to 8 p.m., Oct. 9 to 12 across the entire country for those who would prefer to vote early or aren't able to on election day, Oct. 19.

The location of advance polls can be found on voter information cards or online through the voter information service

Advance voting already underway for many

Voting has already been underway for a few weeks across many First Nations communities, as well as for those in the military or in university

Voting also begins today for federal prison inmates. It's only the fifth time in the country's history that prisoners have been allowed to cast ballots in a federal election.

A 2002 Supreme Court of Canada judgment gave federal prisoners the right to vote on constitutional grounds, ruling that voting is a fundamental right in a democracy.

In the last election in 2011, voter turnout was 54 per cent in federal prisons, not far behind the 61 per cent in the general population.