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Internet voting and ranked ballots not likely for 2018 in Newmarket

YorkRegion.com
Feb. 7, 2017
Teresa Latchford

Newmarket is not going to see Internet voting for the 2018 municipal election.

It was recently recommended by town staff that council consider the implementation of a hybrid voting model for next year’s election that would use a combination of Internet voting during advance voting periods and on voting day as well as tabulators.

“As you can see the majority feel comfortable voting online,” records and projects co-ordinator Sarah Niezen said while showing results of a 2016 phone and online resident survey. “Internet voting is gaining in popularity, in 2003, 12 municipalities were using it and in 2014 that increased to 97 municipalities.”

This isn’t the town’s first look at Internet voting. The previous term of council made the decision to use tabulators in the 2016 election and let the current term of council consider Internet voting for the 2018 election.

While Mayor Tony Van Bynen and Regional Coun. John Taylor support staff’s recommendation to implement the hybrid voting method, others were hesitant about cost of implementation.

The town sets aside about $80,000 annually to cover the costs of the future election, meaning it banks about $320,000 per term, explained CAO Bob Shelton.

“If the costs of the election exceed what has been budgeted, we have to determine which reserve to use to make up the difference and then consider adjusting contributions in future years,” he added.

The town is looking at more than $300,000 in upgrades to increase accessibility regardless of adding Internet voting, Niezen pointed out. It would cost an additional $160,000 to introduce online voting.

“I just can’t support it when we are looking at trying to find savings in our budget,” Ward 7 Coun. Christina Bisanz said. “I’m not convinced the return on investment is worth the money.”

Niezen confirmed the statistics don’t show a large increase in voter turnout in other municipalities where Internet voting has been introduced.

Ward 2 Coun. Jane Twinney echoed the concerns about the cost, but was interested in investigating Ajax’s business case and the cost associated with a full Internet voting model.

“I will not support a full Internet implementation in the first round,” Taylor said. “I don’t want people to feel like they are forced into where a hybrid model would give them the chance to get comfortable with it.”

Council was also presented with the option of introducing ranked ballots, a process where the voters rank their top three choices and candidate with 50 per cent of the first choice votes is deemed the victor. If no candidate receives 50 per cent, calculations are made on second place ranks and candidates are eliminated who have no mathematical chance of winning. Implementation would cost $400,000.

However, Niezen told council staff did not recommend the use of ranked ballots in the next municipal election because the method hasn’t been used in Canada yet and the rules have yet to be clearly defined.

Pending final approval of council, the town will continue with the voting method used in the 2014.