BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
Your Data Your Rights
The cost of democracy, both figurative and literal, was discussed at local council meetings recently as municipalities look towards the October 2026 elections.
Staff reports on voting methods made their way to respective councils in Tay Township and Penetanguishene with councillors weighing the merits and flaws for voting through paper ballots, internet/telephone voting and a hybrid method as options to consider.
Each year, councils budget a quarter of the four-year cycle amount for the election process with expectations to spend the taxpayer money wisely. As noted in the reports, voting through internet and telephone have significant cost savings over paper ballots, which can include: Cost of staff time, training and verification equipment (including tabulators).
For Tay Township, staff recommended internet/telephone voting as Mayor Ted Walker led the discussion by requesting the option of paper ballots for inclusion.
With concerns by Walker and others on council to accessibility for those whom technology was a challenge or where internet wasn’t a reliable outlet, municipal clerk Katelyn Johns assured that help would be made available through mobile voting assistance centres leading up to election day, as well as guidance at the municipal office at 450 Park Street in Victoria Harbour.
Johns also noted that tabulators were not required for paper ballots in elections.
“Within the council chambers, we had different polling stations set up,” said Johns. “As individuals were coming in, we were showing them the option to vote – whether it was by a laptop or an iPad. The majority who came in thinking they would vote by paper ended up voting electronically.
“For those who voted, while it was a lower voting turnout, 91.2 per cent of voters did choose to vote by internet and telephone,” Johns cited.
The explanations quelled concerns by Walker and others in the committee of the whole, who voted to approve the option for internet/telephone in the 2026 election.
In Penetanguishene’s committee of the whole, similar questions were posed by council to staff on their recommendation to use internet/telephone for voting.
Mayor Doug Rawson pointed out that during the 2018 election, Penetanguishene residents were unable to cast electronic votes for six hours due to an overloaded system; and while accommodations were made, a paper ballot system could have alleviated the issue. He proposed an option for internet/telephone voting with additional paper ballots only on the election day.
Discussions included costs of paper ballots and the added workload for municipal staff, but Coun. Bill Waters provided a viewpoint regarding the right to privacy afforded to each Canadian citizen.
“There are some families where one spouse might be a little more dominant and put pressure on the other spouse to vote the way that they want to,” said Waters. “When it’s paper ballot and you’re going in behind a little booth, nobody knows how you’re voting except for yourself.
“When you’re voting online or on the phone and in front of somebody, you may be intimidated to vote differently than the way you really want to vote. And I think that’s important that we respect that as well,” Waters noted.
The committee of the whole approved the third staff option, for internet/telephone voting as well as an additional paper ballot voting method on election day.
Of note is that Tiny Township voted in favour of internet/telephone voting for its 2026 election at their recent council meeting.
Meetings of Penetanguishene council are held on the second Wednesday of each month, and can be watched live on Rogers TV cable 53, or on the Rogers TV website.
Archives of council meetings are located on the Town of Penetanguishene YouTube channel.
Tay council meets for committee of the whole meetings every second Wednesday of the month, and regular council meetings every fourth Wednesday of the month. Archives and livestreams of council meetings are available through the Tay Township YouTube channel.
You can support trusted and verified news content like this.
FIPA’s news monitor subscribers, donors and funders help make these available to everyone rather than behind a paywall. We appreciate every contribution because it makes a difference.
If you found this article interesting and useful, please consider contributing here.
