Online voting
I pride myself in living in a democracy and I believe we need to encourage engagement from every constituent. Oro-Medonte Council’s vote against online voting for the upcoming election which it did against the recommendation of the township staff does NOT, and I want to make this clear, protect democracy. In the 2018 election 177 Municipalities in Ontario (Oro-Medonte Included) had electronic voting as an option. Oro-Medonte Council approved another viable option - voting by mail; however in order to qualify for mail in voting, a resident must apply online prior to September 12th (over a month before the election), or go to the township office to possibly obtain a mail in ballot after September 12th. Current council removed the ability to vote online this year citing “security concerns” and ‘“Seniors, generally … are uncomfortable with the technology and putting personal information over the internet,” (Oro-Medonte council rejects internet voting for 2022 election | The Star).
This is a shame to me, because as noted in the article, Oro-Medonte had one of the highest turnouts in the last municipal election at nearly 42%, with 67% residents voting either online or by phone. The Mayor’s concerns that his own password had been hacked is a very different type of cyber threat than posed by online voting. There have been no recorded incidents that I am aware of in Ontario of online voting fraud. While I admit there have been instances (especially in 2018) of technical difficulties, many Ontarians still appreciate the ability and flexibility that online voting offers them. There are a number of folks who live in our community that only reside here part time, and unlike in provincial and federal elections, those who reside in multiple municipalities have the right to vote in multiple municipalities (Eligibility to vote | 2022 Voters’ Guide - Ontario municipal council and school board elections | ontario.ca). Online voting helps to ensure even part-time residents are able to vote in a community in which they live, play, and pay taxes.
If elected to Council, I am committed to passing motions to improve our constituents’ abilities to participate in our democratic process. I want to remove hurdles and road blocks to voting in a smart, secure and financially sound way. We are proud to live in a democracy and should be able to take advantage of 21st century technologies that allow more people to be involved.
To find out more about online voting, including the pros and cons, I suggest reading the linked post from the Canadian federal government: Online Voting: A Path Forward for Federal Elections - Canada.ca