Federal election 2015: What you need to know to vote on Monday

The longest federal election campaign in Canadian history, and possibly one of the tightest,comes to a closeon Monday.

• Canada election 2015: A look at Alberta's candidates and federal ridings
• VOTE COMPASS |Find out where you stand
• Visit our election results page, which will be updating live on Monday

Here's a how-to guide to make sure your voting experience goes smoothly in an election where every ballotcouldmake a difference.

What to bring:

• 1 piece of ID if it's a driver's licence, provincial or territorial ID, or any other government-issued card with your name, picture and current address.
• OR: 2 pieces of otherID, such as a passport, library card or credit card statement so long as one of them has your current address.
• Elections Canada suggests voters bring their voter identification card;however, it's not mandatoryand it does not qualify as a piece of identification.

Where to go:

• Your voter identification card names the polling station where you can vote.
• You can look it up online by entering your postal code here.
• CanadaVotes | About your riding

When to vote:

Here are the hours polls are open, depending on time zone. Elections Canada says the hours are staggeredso thatresults will come in at roughly the same time leaving little time for eastern results to influence western voters.

• Pacific Time: 7 a.m. 7 p.m.
• Mountain Time: 7:30 a.m. 7:30 p.m.
• Central Time: 8:30 a.m. 8:30 p.m.
• Eastern Time: 9:30 a.m. 9:30 p.m.
• Atlantic Time: 8:30 a.m. 8:30 p.m.
• Newfoundland Time: 8:30 a.m. 8:30 p.m.

Federal law requires almost all employers to provide their employees three consecutive hours to cast a ballot on election day. However, if you work a shift such as 7:30 to 3 p.m., which leaves time to vote, then your employer is not required to give thetime off. It is anemployer's right to decide when time off will be given,according to Elections Canada. By law, an employer can't deduct pay for time off to vote. The penalty for violating the act is a maximum fine of up to $2,000 or three months in prison.