Vote by mail isn't a new concept for Canada this election but with many Canadians weary about the idea of having to trek out to their local polling station during a pandemic it's expected to be something that many will take advantage of this year.

With the election scheduled for Sept. 20, it's essential to know the vote by mail deadlines and get in your vote before it's too late. 

The deadline to apply to vote by mail is September 14 at 6 p.m., after which you'll get an envelope in the mail with a simple, blank form with no candidate names along with some additional envelopes and instructions on how to vote.

For my American friends wondering how easy it is to vote by mail in Canada pic.twitter.com/EIfwOr6aiV

— Brad 🇨🇦 (@FrontRowBrad) September 8, 2021

It's a big difference from voting in person so you'll need to know who the candidates are in your area and don't forget to double check the spelling of their first and last names.

In the rare instance where two candidates have the same first and last name you'll need to also add their political party to distinguish between the two.

@Nat_Carnegie In order to send out and be able to receive all vote by mail ballots in time for the election, it is not possible to include the list of candidates on special ballots. 2/3

— Elections Canada (@ElectionsCan_E) September 10, 2021

An envelope provided by Elections Canada must also be signed and dated with a declaration confirming you're at least 18 years old, a Canadian and that you haven't voted more than once otherwise the vote won't be counted.

Already, people across the country are showing their excitement for the vote by mail option, posting their feelings about it as well as reminders to various social media channels.

I am very excited to have got and finished completing my vote by mail package for Canada's Federal Election today.

— Michael Hiiva (@michaelhiiva) September 2, 2021

If you plan to vote by mail you should know that your ballot needs to be received by your local Elections Canada office before the close of polls on election day.

With early voting stations also opening up this weekend, there's a good chance that a large percentage of Canadians will have already voted by the time election day rolls around on September 20.

Election #votebymail ballots arrived in just a few days... #ElectionsCanada does a great job.

— Paul Big🦶 - Perfectly Fallible & vaxxed (@Paul_R_Canada) September 4, 2021

Many people who already applied for their mail-in  ballots reported getting them within a day or two, saying it has all moved far more efficiently than they expected.

Due to the huge numbers of Canadians expected to vote by mail this year the 2021 election results are not expected to be finalized until sometime after Sept. 20.