Can an election be cancelled? Your Week 3 election questions answered

As we near the halfway point of the federal campaign, Canadians are starting to think more and more about the Oct. 21 election. And your questions are reflecting that.

They cover a wide range of issues, from leaders' bilingualism to practical voting procedures. Here's what you've been wondering as Week 3 kicks off.

Can elections be postponed or cancelled?

Yes. It hasn't happened in the 99-year history of Elections Canada, but that's not to say it couldn't happen.

Election Canada says in "extreme situations" in which it is "practically impossible" to carry out the election in one or more ridings, their Chief Electoral Officer could recommend the election be postponed by up to a week or completely start over. Reasons could include floods, fires or other unforeseen disasters.

Elections Canada says the final decision about setting a new election date would rest with the current prime minister and the cabinet. Parliament would remain dissolved.

Elections have been postponed in individual ridings before. During P.E.I.'s provincial election in April, Green Party candidate Josh Underhay died just ahead of election day, postponing the vote in the Charlottetown-Hillsborough Park riding by almost three months.

Must the Governor General remain in Canada during the campaign?

There is nothing formal saying Julie Payette must stay in the country throughout the election. But her office says the Governor General "always remains available throughout the election period."

If she is travelling, this means she would be able to fly back to Ottawa from wherever she is should an issue arise.

Do you have to be bilingual to be the prime minister?

There is no written rule that says the prime minister has to be bilingual, but given the political importance of Quebec and its 78 seats, proficiency is certainly an asset. All the major party leaders in this campaign can speak French — though some better than others.

Some past prime ministers had very little or no proficiency in French whatsoever, including Sir John A. Macdonald, William Lyon MacKenzie King, R.B. Bennett and John Diefenbaker.

• Compare the party platforms on these top election issues

I'm turning 18 right before the election. Am I allowed to vote?

We heard from someone turning 18 the day before the election and was curious if there is any sort of waiting period to process registration.

Elections Canada says as long as you are at least 18 on Oct. 21, you are good to vote. And though you still may be 17 right now, you can actually register to get on the voters list in advance right here.

You can also register when you go and vote on election day if you don't want to do it early. Just make sure you bring the proper identification and proof that you are now old enough to vote.

I have a family member who has never been able to vote because of their disability. Can a caregiver vote for them?

If you want to vote at a polling place with your family member, someone else would be able to assist the family member with a disability in marking the ballot. Before you do this though, the assistant would have to swear an oath in order to protect the "secrecy of the ballot."

You could also get a ballot sent to your home and vote by mail, which may be more comfortable for the family member with the disability. You can apply to vote by mail right now.

Elections Canada has reiterated that while you can assist someone in voting "no one can vote on your behalf."

• What you need to know to vote in Canada's federal election

Will accessible hearing options be available while voting?

One reader specifically wanted to know what types of accessible hearing options would be available at the polls — referencing assisted listening devices like CART captioning, a hearing loop, an FM or an infrared system. These options would help voters with hearing aids cut out the clutter and hear what's happening more clearly.

• What you need to know if you have a disability and want to vote

Elections Canada says none of these options will be offered. It does offer sign language interpretation if you contact them before Oct. 15. It advises anyone with a disability to contact their local polling office to see what supports will be in place for the advance polls and on election day.

Each week until election day, we'll be rounding up your questions and answering some in articles like the one you just read. If you've got questions, send Haydn an email at haydn.watters@cbc.ca. He'll try his very best to get you an answer — or include it in a future article. He's cleared his inbox of past questions now, so he's awaiting yours.

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