Internet voting will likely be the primary option for Collingwood residents for the next municipal election.
Town council supported a staff recommendation to proceed with an internet voting option for the 2022 election, with paper ballots available for those who cannot vote digitally.
This spring, the town ran a survey online and in a print newspaper asking residents to indicate their preferred voting method for the next municipal election.
The options included paper ballots, vote-by-mail, internet voting, telephone voting, and touch screen polling stations.
Last night, staff brought the results back to council during a strategic initiatives standing committee meeting, indicating about 80 per cent of people were in favour of internet voting, and 15 to 20 per cent of respondents indicated they wouldn’t want to vote by Internet at all.
The survey gathered a little over 240 responses, which is about one per cent of the number of eligible voters in Collingwood. Most of the people who responded to the newspaper survey were the ones who indicated they didn’t want to vote by internet.
As recommended, the plan would be to set up one polling station at a prominent location where people could vote by paper ballot, and the location would also serve as the election/voting help centre. The town will use electronic tabulators to tally the paper ballots.
Councillor Yvonne Hamlin brought up the 2018 election, noting the town used a hybrid of internet and telephone voting, and a bandwidth issue on election night shut down the system, causing the town to have to extend the election for 24 more hours.
Clerk Sara Almas said though it was frustrating, there are provisions in the municipal election act for extenuating circumstances like those experienced in 2018.
“I think we’re comfortable with the internet option and having the paper ballot as a secondary plan,” said Almas.
Councillor Tina Comi said she supported the internet voting option.
“I can’t see it being anything but the future,” she said.
Voting will likely take place over seven to 10 days leading up to the Oct. 24, 2022, election.
Council still has to vote one more time to finalize the election voting procedures. The matter will be on the council agenda later this month. During the strategic initiatives committee meeting, council supported the internet/paper ballot hybrid options unanimously.
RELATED: Town will be asking voters what method they’d like to use in 2022 election
