Frank Luba, The Province May 3, 2011
Provincial approval will be required if the City of Vancouver is to go ahead with online voting in advance polls for the November municipal election. City council approved the trial on Tuesday afternoon. The request will go to Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development Ida Chong before a request for proposals is issued for someone with the technology to run such a pilot. City staff had recommended going forward with a pilot of the technology for residents who would prefer to vote from the comfort of their home or office, instead of going to a polling station. The benefits of online voting are increased accessibility and convenience that could lead to more voter participation, which is shrinking at the municipal level. There is also the potential for the initiative to be less expensive than the current paper ballots, which are read and tabulated by electronic scanners. Council was told Tuesday by chief election officer Janice MacKenzie that those machines are “at the end of their effective life” and that the 2011 election is the last in which the city-owned devices can be used. NPA Coun. Suzanne Anton opposed the pilot program even though she used online voting in the recent provincial Liberal Party leadership election. Anton cited fears about breach of privacy, someone hacking into the system and duress in households from one resident pressuring another. She wanted the motion referred back to staff for more consultation. Vision Coun. Andrea Reimer disagreed. “It has been tested in quite a number of communities,” Reimer said, citing more than 40 municipalities in Ontario already using online voting. Reimer’s Vision colleague Kerry Jang supported her. “The ultimate test is to see if people actually use it,” Jang said. Anton’s motion was defeated and the city will look for provincial approval. Funding is to be found within the existing election budget.
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