Voters in the Town of Essex will stick with traditional voting in next year's municipal election.
Essex Town Council voted 5-2 on Monday night to reject a report proposing that the Town adopt an electronic voting method for the next municipal election.
Ward 1 Councillor Joe Garon introduced a motion for the Town to retain the paper-based, in-person voting system that was in place for the 2022 election.
Town Clerk and Director of Legal and Legislative Services Joe Malandruccolo stated that the report aligns with the actions taken by many Ontario communities, including some in Windsor-Essex.
"We came to find out that there were going to be some issues with tabulators this year," said Malandruccolo. "Most of the municipalities in Ontario are moving toward some form of electronic voting method."
The report presented to councillors listed two options.
One option was a hybrid-based method that featured internet-based voting for in-person voters. Residents would come to a polling place and then vote at a touchscreen terminal.
Deputy Mayor Rob Shepley and Ward 1 Councillor Katie McGuire-Blais were the “no” votes on the paper motion, favouring the hybrid touchscreen one.
The other was a fully online voting process with voter assistance centres, similar to the method used by LaSalle in Monday night's byelection.
Malandruccolo added that he recommended the hybrid method, understanding that total trust in electronic voting may not be widespread among residents.
Ward 2's Kim Verbeek discussed an incident at an event she recently attended, where she was required to vote for something on an app and accidentally picked the wrong option.
"I'm just wondering what kind of safeguards are in place," said Verbeek. "Honestly, if I bring my mother and I tell her, 'You got to get all this help to get to this computer, and they're going to have it all set for you, and you just have to choose.' If she hits the wrong button, what's the safeguard there?"
Essex joins Leamington as another Windsor-Essex community choosing to stick with paper balloting.
