Hub Staff

The future of voting in Saugeen Shores may be as easy as a click of a button, or a telephone call. Council approved a recommendation for town staff to bring a by-law that could authorize telephone and electric as the only methods of voting for the 2018 municipal and school board elections back to council.

Speaking out against it, Deputy Mayor Luke Charbonneau said the idea made him nervous and that he doesn't see a cost benefit for tax payers or the voter to switch from mail-in ballots to the new system.

“You’re putting a lot of trust into some third party out there that won’t show you what’s behind the curtain,” said Charbonneau.

Town Clerk Linda White said she has not yet chosen someone to service the online voting but has narrowed her search down to three companies.

Councillor Cheryl Grace had no doubt that White had done thorough research but admitted her biggest concern was a hack. She then made mention of the electronic voting company Scytl, which has been involved in many elections throughout Canada and was hacked during a mock 2010 Washington D.C. election in which Bender from the cartoon Futurama was elected to the School Board. Grace also expressed concern regarding the validity of a re-count when using an online voting system.

Councillor Neil Menage was for the idea, insisting that voting online and by telephone is a step in the right direction. Menage brought up that people are now able to send cheques by e-mail and shop online with few reservations. He said he believed in the coding and the techs behind the technology.

In the recommendation, White said there would be help kiosks with computers and tablets provided around the municipality at places such as the town office, retirement and long-term care facilities as well as libraries.

Saugeen Shores has used the vote-by-mail system since the early 2000s. Per the Municipal Elections Act, a by-law authorizing an alternative method must be passed by May 1, 2017.