Here’s why you can vote by mail in the Toronto civic election -- but not online

Mail-in voting still produces a paper ballot which makes the results easier to verify than online systems where votes are tallied electronically, says an expert

Thestar.com
Sept. 12, 2022
David Rider

This fall, for the first time ever, all Torontonians will be able to vote for a mayor, city councillor and school trustee without entering a polling station.

Toronto is offering mail-in voting citywide in the Oct. 24 civic election -- an innovation already offered in Ontario and federal elections. Mail-in voters, however, must register and follow a specific process that has deadlines.

Aleksander Essex, a University of Western Ontario assistant professor who researches the security of voting systems, says casting a ballot by mail offers accessibility advantages while retaining the ability to verify election results.

Online voting, the ultimate in convenience with current technology, still has a challenge in that the electronic process is usually run by a hired company, Essex said, “and you need to be able to show losing candidates that they really lost.

“For people looking for greater accessibility, mail-in voting offers a way better option than online voting in terms of the integrity of the election results because there’s still a paper ballot that can be counted.”

We asked Toronto’s elections office how the new voting system will work.

What is Toronto’s experience with mail-in voting?

Mail-in voting was made available for the first time in the 2021 Scarborough-Agincourt byelection. Mailed votes accounted for 29 per cent of the ballots cast, representing 5.3 per cent of eligible voters in that byelection. Implementing mail-in voting in a general election requires additional staff resources to support a citywide program. A dedicated team has been trained to administer all aspects of it.

How does the process work?

First, you apply to vote by mail online or by calling Toronto Elections at 416-338-1111 (press 5) before Sept. 23 at 4:30 p.m. After your application is approved, you’ll be mailed a voting package between Sept. 23 and Oct. 5. After marking your ballot, follow instructions to mail it back -- or put it in one of the yellow drop boxes in each ward -- to arrive by the deadline of noon Oct. 21.

How many Torontonians are expected to vote by mail?

Toronto Elections consulted with a variety of jurisdictions to gather feedback to shape our program and inform participation projections. We are projecting that 8 per cent of Toronto’s 1.8 million eligible voters will may apply to vote by mail.

What other ways can Torontonians vote?

Eligible voters can cast ballots in person during advance voting Oct. 7-14 or on election day Oct. 24. Voters unable to vote in person or by mail can appoint a proxy to vote on their behalf.

U.S. mail-in voting systems have been the target of debunked fraud accusations. Will voting by mail in Toronto be tamper-proof?

Toronto Elections has learned from mail-in voting systems in other jurisdictions. Toronto Elections has addressed security through features and procedures including a requirement that users appear on the voters’ list, and upload identification if they need to be added to the list.

After a voters’ application is approved, the package received and sent back, its contents are separated from the marked ballots to ensure each ballot is not associated with an individual voter. Candidates and scrutineers can observe the process. Also, voters receive a confirmation code that allows them to track their ballot’s progress to the elections office.