Hamilton will not offer electronic voting in next municipal election

The City of Hamilton will not offer the option to vote electronically in the next municipal election, after a tied vote Thursday afternoon defeated the motion.

The city held an audit, finance, and administration committee meeting, in which staff recommended adding electronic voting as an option for the upcoming election.

The discussion ended in a tied 4-4 vote that put an end to the conversation.

The city was looking to offer more voting options with a by-election in two months, and a municipal election a year away.

“I want to make sure we have every available opportunity to cast their ballot,” said Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath. “We need to get people more engaged in the municipal election process.”

Some of the big concerns highlighted by delegates Thursday, surrounded cost, result verification and security, especially given the latest cyberattack on city systems.

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“We can have wonderful, perfect polling places, but if anyone can vote anytime, anywhere, as they document promises, anything can happen,” said Peter Dyakowski, a delegate at the meeting.

“Election experts across Canada, across the world, will tell you online voting is not secure,” said Andrew Selman, another delegate at the meeting.

Matthew Trennum, a Hamilton city clerk, said there was no evidence of ballot tampering, when the method was used for the Ward 4 Trustee by-election earlier this year.

“We received no specific concerns, there were no issues identified to us with tampering or anything related to the system itself,” said Trennum. “Everything worked the way it was supposed to.”

In the last municipal election in Hamilton, voters had the option to vote by mail, on advance polling days, and on election day.

Now, most people in the city said they welcome another option.

“I actually think that’s a good idea,” said one person who spoke with CHCH News. “It’s something that should be easy, as long as it can be done safely, why not?”

“It makes it easier – there’s a lot of people that can’t get out, elderly people and the handicapped,” said another person that spoke with CHCH News. “I think it’s a great solution.”

“I feel uneasy about not voting in person, because you don’t know if there will be a computer glitch or not,” said someone else who spoke with CHCH News.

The City of Niagara Falls already decided not to move forward with online voting next year.

Other municipalities including Thorold, Burlington, and Brantford said they’ve had success with it.

“The first year in 2014, about 18 to 20 per cent of the votes were done electronically – online,” said Brantford Mayor Kevin Davis. “The election in 2018 went up about 35 per cent, and the last election in 2022 saw more than 50 per cent voting online in the comfort of their own home, at any time, day or night.”

The decision will be ratified in Hamilton City Council next week, but it could still face further discussion.

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