METRO VANCOUVER - The two largest municipalities in British Columbia are looking at the possibility of allowing voters to cast their ballots over the Internet in November’s civic election.
Both Vancouver and Surrey councils next week will discuss what it will take to bring in so-called evoting for the next election.
“We’re at the point now in Internet technology that it is worth considering,” said Vision Vancouver Coun. Andrea Reimer, the sponsor of a motion calling for an online voting pilot project in Vancouver.
Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts said she would like to see online voting in place for November.
“But even if we don’t it will be on for the next election [in 2014],” she said. “It’s clear that online voting is going to happen.”
The plans come as a small but growing group of B.C. municipalities explore a concept in online voter engagement that is already well-established in Ontario elections and is gaining a foothold in other provinces.
The B.C. government is also gathering information about whether to hold next September’s HST referendum by online voting and mail ballot, two options that would allow it to dramatically cut the referendum’s projected $30-million cost.
Evoting consists of both online and telephone options. The most common way is for eligible voters to receive a personal identifier number or PIN by mail, which they then use in combination with other identification such as their birthdate to verify eligibility. They are given access to an electronic ballot that once used can’t be accessed again.
The interest by B.C. governments in evoting comes as Canada is emerging as a world leader in the development of such systems. While U.S. election laws prohibit online voting, the growing number of Canadian municipalities, unions and associations turning to the concept in an effort to simplify voting and reverse a trend in declining participation has created a micro industry. In B.C., the average municipal voter turnout is just 35 per cent.
“There can be risks to online voting, I know. But I’d suggest that the risks are even greater to democracy when you have only 35 per cent of voters casting ballots,” said Reimer.
Despite the wishes of Vancouver and Surrey to have online voting in place this year, both the provincial government and the Union of B.C. Municipalities say it just isn’t possible. The Local Government Act and the Vancouver Charter do not allow online voting and there is no plan to introduce amending legislation this year, the province said.
“Municipal electors will not be able to use the Internet and/or telephones to vote in the 2011 general local election — even as a pilot project. Such a proposal would require substantial policy analysis as well as legislative changes. Key issues to be considered would include security of the ballot and public confidence in electronic voting,” a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development said in an email.
UBCM President Barbara Steele, a Surrey councillor, said the association in 2000 called for municipalities to be allowed to conduct Internet votes. But she said online voting was not included in the Local Government Elections Task Force recommendations the UBCM wants adopted at the next Legislative session.
“It is safe to say [online voting] will not hit in 2011,” she said. “I think online voting is a reality when you consider where we’re going, but I just don’t see it taking place this year.”
Watts said Surrey council will hold a workshop Monday to learn from its staff the details of moving to an online vote.
“When you look at where we are evolving, in terms of our social media and technology, it most certainly is the way to go,” she said. “We just need to make sure the system is not abused.”
Reimer said Vancouver may have a different case for running a pilot project this November because the city is governed under its own provincial legislation and already conducts “electronic voting” with its ballot-counting machines that transmit results over the Internet to its election headquarters. “Much of our lives is online. We do banking online, shop online, look at our kids’ marks online. It is not hard to imagine going online to vote,” she said.
While the B.C. government is hedging on the civic election, it is looking at whether September’s HST referendum can be held using online or mail ballots.
Don Main, a spokesman for Elections British Columbia, said it is gathering information on how an electronic vote would be held if the government goes in that direction. But he noted that B.C.’s Elections Act would also have to be amended.
