Public given insight into electronic voting
Posted Jul 1, 2010 By Ashley Kulp
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EMC News - Come this October, North Grenville residents will have the choice of barely lifting a finger to cast their ballots in the municipal election thanks to the introduction of electronic voting in the municipality this year.
Ashley Kulp, Kemptville EMC
Steven Beamish, vice president of business development with Intelivote Systems Inc., provides a mock demonstration of how residents will be able to vote over the Internet during a June 22 municipal election information night at the North Grenville Municipal Centre. Intelivote is the company handling the electronic voting (telephone and Internet) for six municipalities in Leeds-Grenville, including North Grenville.
Members of the public, potential candidates and staff representatives from North Grenville and neighbouring municipalities had the opportunity to see firsthand how electronic voting works, during a municipal election information night at the North Grenville Municipal Centre June 22. The evening was organized and sponsored by the six United Counties of Leeds and Grenville (UCLG) municipalities who are embarking on electronic voting in this election, including: North Grenville and the Townships of Edwardsburgh-Cardinal, Augusta, Elizabethtown-Kitley, Leeds and the 1000 Islands, and the City of Brockville.
This will be the first municipal election in which North Grenville offers Internet and phone voting as an option. Paper ballots will still be available for those who wish to use that method of voting, however there will be no advanced poll voting available through paper ballots. Those who choose to vote that way will only be able to do so on election day (Monday, Oct. 25) and only at the North Grenville Municipal Centre.
During the first half of the evening, former City of Brockville mayor Ben TeKamp provided potential candidates information on what it's like to sit on council and the responsibilities it entails. Then, during the second portion of the night, Steven Beamish, vice president of business development with Intelivote Systems Inc., the company who will be handling all electronic voting for the six municipalities, gave insight into how the process will work.
Intelivote Systems Inc., based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, was established in 2003 and has conducted elections in Nova Scotia, the Ontario New Democratic Party leadership convention in 2009 as well as several municipal elections from 2006 to 2008, including those in the Town of Perth and the Townships of Montague, Augusta and Tay Valley.
"We consider ourselves the world leaders in 'anywhere voting,'" noted Beamish, who said the popularity of electronic voting is due to the fact that it meets accessibility needs. "...We had 200 people in the Gulf of Arabia who cast votes in the Halifax election in 2008 and people on the ground in Afghanistan that participated in the election."
"Municipalities are losing a lot of votes," he added, noting that snowbirds or people who own property in the municipality, no longer have to worry about traveling to vote. "People can sit iin their house and use their Internet connection or telephone to vote."
Beamish pointed out that Intelivote has knowledge in voting security, legislation, procedures and event management. "We're subject matter experts not just on technology...but we actually understand what running an election entails and the rules and regulations that govern elections," he said.
Over the next few months, Intelivote will be working with the six municipalities to develop what the Internet screens will look like and the voice residents will hear when using the telephone voting option. Beamish says the process is simple and begins with municipalities each receiving a final list of electors with voter instruction kits and electronic voting credentials (PINS to enter when voting) for residents.
"Once voters have that letter (with instructions and PIN) in hand, that is your ticket to vote," Beamish remarked.
To vote by phone, all residents have to do is call a 1-800 number and follow the prompts and the Internet method is just as simple. Beamish stressed that with electronic voting, voter intent is clear and it eliminates the occurrence of accidentally spoiled ballots (unless they are intentionally spoiled when residents don't select a candidate for a position).
"People can't over vote or under vote," he clarified. "If they try to spoil a ballot, it will just be left blank. This method is also environmentally positive."
While the company makes no guarantees for increased voter turnout, he noted that nearly all of their customers have seen a rise in turnout. "...It's because it removes the barriers for folks with reduced mobility issues or weather problems, etc.," Beamish commented.
Electronic voting is also a cost-effective solution for municipalities as they don't have to rent locations for polling stations or pay as many staff to cover the elections. A selection of staff will have to be trained on the new method of voting and an auditor will be appointed by municipalities to oversee that the voting process is fair and balanced.
Beamish then ran through a mock Internet voting process with those in attendance. Upon visiting the website for the first time, users will come to a welcome screen and will be prompted to enter their eight-number PIN. If the PIN is wrong, they will be asked to enter it again. He also stressed that once a PIN is entered either by telephone or Internet, voters will be locked out from voting a second time. A PIN can only be used one time.
Then voters will be asked to make their selection for mayor and councillors. Once they decide, they will be given two opportunities to confirm their vote. If they try to select more than the alloted amount, error messages will pop up. If they take too long deciding, the site automatically times out after five minutes and residents will have to re-enter their PIN to finish voting. Any selections they had confirmed previously will not be able to be changed.
"Twenty to thirty per cent of people will attempt to vote twice," Beamish said. "Everyone wants to try it, there's nothing malicious about it, but if they try, they will get a message stating that they've already voted."
North Grenville Chamber of Commerce executive director Wendy Chapman noted that offering electronic options as well as sticking with paper ballots is "a good way to introduce it."
As it grows closer to election time, North Grenville director of corporate services/clerk Cahl Pominville said more information will be made available to residents regarding the change in voting and residents will even be able to test out the Internet option. He was pleased to see North Grenville embarking on this type of voting with neighbouring municipalities as they can learn from each other throughout the process. "It's all about encouraging people that don't have to leave their house or go wherever to vote, to do it in their homes," he stated.
A voter help line will also be set up for those having difficulties with the new methods of voting. In advance of the Oct. 25 election, residents will be able to participate in electronic advanced voting beginning at 9 a.m. on Oct. 19 right through until 8 p.m. on Oct. 25.
"So if you wake up in the middle of the night and can't sleep, you can pick up the phone or go on the Internet and vote," Pominville concluded.
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