Could e-voting spur a higher turnout? Vaughan resident wants to ditch ‘archaic’ system

Describing lower voter turnout as an indication of citizen satisfaction is ‘ludicrous’

Yorkregion.com
September 2, 2020
Dina Al-Shibeeb

Styles Weinberg, a Vaughan citizen for the past 25 years, is “disappointed” and frustrated over the low voter turnout in the city for the past three election.

In 2018, the turnout was at 27 per cent, down from 30.3 per cent in 2014 and well down from the 40 per cent who voted in 2010.

This is why Weinberg is calling to bring electronic voting to the fore. Being able to vote from the comfort of their homes is less “cumbersome” for people, he said.

“The city clerk was presented with the electronic option and we are still awaiting the decision on whether or not to move forward,” he said. “With elections coming up in the next few years, now is the time to enlighten and inspire new interest in our democratic system.”

After approaching the City of Vaughan, he was told: “The city clerk has retained consultants to undertake an assessment of internet voting to inform his official recommendation to council on whether or not to implement internet voting for the 2022 municipal election.

“He will be reporting his recommendations in this matter at a meeting of council in December of this year, at which time council will make their decision.”

In 2018, both Markham and Newmarket used online voting. Also, on Oct. 19, York Region District School Board’s trustee byelection will be online for Richmond Hill voters.

On a government of Canada page, titled Online Voting: A Path Forward for Federal Elections, it described how a 2014 study of Ontario municipalities found about 11 per cent of online voters from 43 communities “reported having not participated (in voting) before.”

“The first deployment of online voting in the City of Markham’s municipal election had 25 per cent of non-voters cast a ballot online (Goodman, 2014),” it continued.

Dale Smith, author of the “Unbroken Machine,” a book that champions civil literacy to protect and shield Canada’s parliamentary democracy, told the Vaughan Citizen that “online voting often doesn't have the same accountability mechanisms that paper ballots do.”

Smith said “often people say if we can do our banking online, why can’t we vote online?”

To answer this, he said, online banking has “accountability trails” and “paper trails for all of your transactions. So if there's a fraudulent transaction, it can be spotted. We can’t do the same thing with voting.”

Smith also said there are other issues, including the “secrecy of the ballot.”

When asked how online voting can break the secrecy of the ballot, he said, “You don't know who is watching when people are casting their votes online.”

“You don’t know who’s around or if someone is going to compel you to vote for a certain person,” he added, describing the secrecy of the ballot as a “democratic principle.”

He pointed out to historical episodes in 1867, when women couldn’t vote and Canada endured what he called “rum bottle politics.”

“If you voted for a certain person, you would be rewarded with a bottle of rum,” he added. “So, it kind of became bribery for voting. But when you have secret ballots, you're not subject to intimidation or reward, and there are a few safeguards that can guarantee that with online voting.”

Weinberg has already tried running for office three times, losing to Ward 4 Coun. Sandra Racco. In 2018, Racco received 2,869 votes while Weinberg got 1,968. In 2014, Racco received 3,162 votes, and he was at 2,352.

“This time when I run, I'm going to win,” he said with beaming confidence. “But some of the problems are that people don't care anymore,” he lamented.

After the 2018 election’s results, Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua indicated the lower turnout showed how satisfied the citizens of Vaughan were, Weinberg recalled.

“I could not believe that a mayor of a major city could possibly believe and make such a ridiculous statement,” Weinberg added. “They are just so disappointed with what's happening with city hall, they don't even bother voting. So the turnout, you know, is very, very low.”

To further engage the public, Weinberg is en route to officially launch a website -- Eyes on Vaughan -- in about a month, with vetted advertising.

“We're trying to ensure that it's a nonbiased production publication, and it's very inclusive,” he added. He also said that he's currently hiring.