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Electronic voting in Canada

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It is a common misconception that there is no electronic voting in Canada. While federal elections and provincial elections still use paper ballots, electronic voting technology has been used since at least the 1990s at the municipal level in some cities. Some municipalities in Ontario and Nova Scotia provide Internet voting.

There are no Canadian electronic voting standards.

Federal

There is no electronic or online voting in Canadian federal elections.

For national elections, there is a uniform set of standards for voting. This governing law is the Canada Elections Act.

The Act is c. 9, assented to (made law) 31 May 2000. It has a provision

PART 2 CHIEF ELECTORAL OFFICER AND STAFF

Electronic voting process

18.1 The Chief Electoral Officer may carry out studies on voting, including studies respecting alternative voting means, and may devise and test an electronic voting process for future use in a general election or a by-election. Such a process may not be used for an official vote without the prior approval of the committees of the Senate and of the House of Commons that normally consider electoral matters.

Federal Initiative to Increase Voter Turnout

It was reported that 'Elections Canada hoped to test web voting by 2013, beginning with a byelection. "The general philosophy is to take the ballot box to the voter," says Mayrand, Canada's chief electoral officer.' [1]

Elections Canada released a report requesting approval to conduct an "electronic voting test-run in a byelection by 2013".[2]

The tests of online voting never took place.[3]

2010 Federal Dialogue on Internet Voting

On January 26, 2010 Elections Canada in conjunction with partners organised The Canada-Europe Transatlantic Dialogue (Strategic Knowledge Cluster) - Internet Voting: What Can Canada Learn?[4] Examples of Internet voting from Europe and from Canadian municipalities were presented.[5]

2016 Federal Consultation on Electoral Reform, Including Online Voting

On June 7, 2016, the House created a Special Committee on Electoral Reform. The committee was charged "to identify and conduct a study of viable alternate voting systems to replace the first-past-the-post system, as well as to examine mandatory voting and online voting".[6] Feedback to the committee had to be provided October 7, 2016.[7] The committee's report was issued December 1, 2016 and recommended against online voting.[8]

In parallel with the committee, starting August 26, 2016 the Minister of Democratic Institutions Maryam Monsef is conducting a cross-country consultation tour on the same topics.[9]

Provincial

Each province can choose its own voting machines and standards.

Alberta

Alberta does not permit the use of Internet voting in provincial elections.[citation needed]

Quebec

On October 24, 2006 the Chief Electoral Officer of Quebec released a report (in French only) "Report on the Evaluation of New Methods of Voting". In a press release, three root causes of problems with electronic voting machines in the 2005 municipal elections were identified:[10]

  • an imprecise legislative and administrative framework
  • absence of technical specifications, norms and standards
  • poor management of voting systems (especially lack of security measures)

He recommended that the current moratorium on the use of these systems be maintained, and left it up to the provincial legislature to decide whether or not to use electronic voting in future. The moratorium remains in place.

New Brunswick

It was reported in the Globe and Mail on May 13, 2004 that "New Brunswick's chief electoral officer is reviewing the possibility of using electronic voting machines on a wide basis.[11]"

New Brunswick used vote counting computers in 2014 and encountered problems.[12]

On July 5, 2016, the governing Liberals tabled a 49-page discussion paper in the legislature, and will ask the legislature to strike a select committee to consider its contents. It includes online voting as one of the ideas. It is expected that hearings will take place in fall 2016 with a report due by early 2017.[13][14]

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia does not permit the use of Internet voting in provincial elections. In a 2013 report, the Election Commission of Nova Scotia concluded that "it is premature to entertain either Internet based or telephone voting options at this time."[15]

Ontario

Ontario did a pilot of electronic vote counting in 2016.[16]

Ontario does not permit the use of Internet voting in provincial elections. A three-year study of "network voting" concluded in 2013 that "At this point, we do not have a viable method of network voting that meets our criteria and protects the integrity of the electoral process."[17]

Prince Edward Island

In Prince Edward Island's 2016 non-binding referendum on electoral reform residents were able to cast their vote in-person, online, or by touch-tone telephone, a first in Canada.[18]

Municipal

Each municipality can choose its own voting machines and standards, although in some provinces municipalities are required to follow provincial standards and regulations. For more information about the elections themselves, see Municipal elections in Canada. Ontario and Nova Scotia permit municipal Internet voting, upon approval by individual city councils.

Alberta

Edmonton, Alberta offered touch-screen voting machines for advance voting in 2004.

Quebec

Quebec held municipal elections in 2005. Numerous problems were reported with the voting machines used, and Pierre Bourque of Vision Montreal called for some re-votes. Approximately one year later, the Quebec Chief Electoral Officer released a report highly critical of the systems and processes used.

Ontario

2010 Municipal Elections

CTV reports that 33 municipalities used the Intelivote Internet and telephone voting system. "The online and telephone voting system was used by 33 municipalities, causing several problems across the region."[19] Arnprior, Ontario extended their voting period by 24 hours due to the problems. Other municipalities extended their voting period by one hour.

In the Huntsville, Ontario election there was Internet voting provided by Canadian company Intelivote. Canada's Minister of Industry Tony Clement tweeted "Just voted in my municipality's election, online. Very convenient."[20] There was an error in sending some of the PINs out by postal mail; as a result, replacement PINs were mailed out.[21]

South Stormont, Ontario provided Internet and telephone voting in addition to traditional paper ballots.[22]

In Ottawa, Ontario votes are counted on optical mark-sense readers.

Arnprior, Ontario provided Internet and telephone voting[23] and was forced to extend voting by a further 24 hours due to problems with people logging in to the Intelivote system. The issue was traced to a hardware failure of one of the servers due to higher than expected load.[19][24][25][26][27]

Previous Elections

In an effort to address accessibility issues Kingston, Ontario offered touch-screen voting machines for advance voting in 2006 supplied by Diebold Election Systems, now Premiere Election Solutions.[28]

Since 1988, the City of St. Catharines has been using optical scan voting technology for tabulating votes during the Municipal Elections.[29]

The Ottawa municipal elections have used optical scan machines since 2003.[30]

Peterborough, Ontario introduced Internet voting in 2006 in addition to the more traditional methods.[31]

Markham, Ontario introduced an Internet voting system in 2003[32] The system was supplied by US company Election Systems & Software at a cost of $25,000. In 2006, Markham again used Internet voting and experienced a 48% growth in online voting.[33]

Jonathon Hollins, Canadian director of Election Systems & Software reports that "Voting on standalone touch-screen machines (Direct Recording Electronics), ... which also caters to the visually-impaired through an audio ballot, has been used in municipal elections held in Toronto, Edmonton, and the Ontario cities of Vaughan, Brantford, Oakville and Mississauga.[citation needed]

Windsor, Ontario used touch-screen balloting in a 2002 by-election and in the 2003 Ontario Municipal Election, but only at their advance polls.[citation needed]

A 2000 year-end report from Global Election Systems (formerly called Diebold Election Systems and now called Premier Election Solutions) states "Global reports add-on sales of 60 AccuVote systems to the City of Ottawa and 70 to the City of Hamilton as well as first-time sales of 60 AccuVote-TS systems to the City of Barrie".[citation needed]

New Brunswick

Saint John, New Brunswick used optical scanning machines in the 2004 municipal election.[citation needed]

Nova Scotia

In the Halifax Regional Municipality municipal election, 2008, residents of the Halifax Regional Municipality had the option of advance voting over the Internet.[34][35] Voters received a PIN in a letter sent specifically in their name to their address, and needed the PIN plus their date of birth to identify themselves to the system.[36]

See also

References

  1. ^ Fekete, Jason (2008-09-06). "Black Mark". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
  2. ^ Bryden, Joan (2009-06-26). "Elections Canada backs online voting". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2009-06-27.
  3. ^ MacKinnon, Leslie (April 30, 2013). "Elections Canada drops plan for online voting due to cuts". Archived from the original on 13 April 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ "Strategic Knowledge Cluster – Canada-Europe Transatlantic Dialogue (CETD) – January 26, 2010". January 26, 2010. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "Canada-Europe Transatlantic Dialogue (Internet Voting Workshop)". January 26, 2010. Archived from the original on 8 November 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ About the Special Committee on Electoral Reform
  7. ^ Participate in the Special Committee on Electoral Reform
  8. ^ Strengthening Democracy in Canada : Principles, Process and Public Engagement for Electoral Reform
  9. ^ Minister Monsef Kicks off Month-Long National Tour on Electoral Reform
  10. ^ Chief Electoral Officer (DGE) of Quebec - Electronic voting
  11. ^ "NB ponders e-voting". Retrieved 2016-09-19.
  12. ^ New Brunswick election: Software glitch to blame for result delays
  13. ^ Poitras, Jacques (July 5, 2016). "Voting reform ideas put forward by Liberals". Archived from the original on 6 July 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ Government submits electoral reform options to legislative assembly
  15. ^ Elections Nova Scotia: Annual Report of the Chief Electoral Officer April 1, 2012 – March 31, 2013
  16. ^ Electronic voting comes to Ontario in Whitby-Oshawa byelection
  17. ^ Ontario - Alternative Voting Technologies Report
  18. ^ Bradley, Susan (8 November 2016). "P.E.I. plebiscite results favour mixed member proportional representaton". CBC News. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  19. ^ a b Electronic voting creates problems across eastern Ont.
  20. ^ https://twitter.com/TonyClement_MP/status/28473132792
  21. ^ Huntsville Press Release: Voter Information Letters (PDF)
  22. ^ South Stormont - Municipal Election 2010
  23. ^ Town staff provide overview of electronic voting process Voting in municipal election runs from Oct. 18-25
  24. ^ Technical glitch extends Arnprior vote 1 day
  25. ^ Intelivote explains voting problems in Arnprior
  26. ^ Ottawa Citizen - Overloaded e-vote system means Arnprior voters get another day to cast ballots reprinted in Vancouver Sun - Overloaded e-vote system means Arnprior voters get another day to cast ballots
  27. ^ Election Extended in Arnprior
  28. ^ Touch-Screen Voting Machines Employed For Election
  29. ^ City of St. Catharines - How to Vote
  30. ^ Ottawa City Hall - Voting FAQ
  31. ^ City of Peterborough - Internet voting
  32. ^ Markham voters go from in line to online 11/12/2003
  33. ^ Online voting drives higher voter turnout in Town of Markham election, study finds June 8, 2007
  34. ^ Halifax prepares for online voting, September 26, 2008
  35. ^ Halifax Regional Municipality - How to vote
  36. ^ Halifax Regional Municipality - Sample evoting letter

Canadian Elections

Reports, Articles, Blogs

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