Internet and telephone voting coming to Township of Woolwich

New voting methods in Woolwich From CTV Kitchener's Ricardo Veneza: Voters in Woolwich Township will be able to cast their ballots by internet and telephone this fall.

The Township of Woolwich has unanimously backed a plan to include internet and telephone voting as options in the 2022 municipal election.

Township staff say the alternative voting methods will act as a democratic fail-safe should the pandemic impact the ability to put on an election.

“If we do get into, you know, I hate to say it, but any future waves of COVID-19, we would have those same staffing challenges,” Township Clerk Jeff Smith said.

Woolwich is partnering with Wellesley and Wilmot Townships to purchase the internet voting services, through Scytl Canada.

“If we don't have the staff and people have to line up for hours in singular polls because of staffing, that's going to be a problem. The other thing is the accessibility. I think we have to move toward a more accessible world,” Ward One councilor Scott McMillan said.

The Township Clerk does not expect online or telephone voting to boost the roughly 30-per cent voter turnout.

“The general research around online voting isn't that when you provide internet voting you get a huge uptick in voter turnout, but rather that the easier you make voting, the easier it is for people to vote and they'll come out as best they can,” Smith said.

Councillors did note there were issues with online voting during the 2018 municipal election. Problems accessing the Dominion Voting System on election day led officials to extend the voting period an additional day, leading to delays in results, including in the race for Regional Chair.

“In 2018 it didn’t go smoothly for us … but I hope we’ve learned from those issues,” Ward One councillor Patrick Merlihan said.

The total cost of the election is estimated at about $34,000. The cost includes $18,000 for internet and telephone voting, according to the Township.

Candidate nominations open on May 2, and nominations will be certified Aug. 22. Voting day is set for Oct. 24, 2022.