Guelphites will be able to cast their next municipal election vote online, presuming a suitable vendor can be found.
In a 9-4 vote on Tuesday, city council agreed to provide online voting as an accessibility option to traditional paper ballots, which will also be provided. A separate, unanimous vote saw the approval of vote-by-mail and vote-from-home options as well.
“There is risk. I’m comfortable with the tolerance of that risk,” Mayor Cam Guthrie said of online voting. “I think this is, for me, the right decision.”
The caveat for online voting is that a vendor must be found that meets security requirements and performs testing to the satisfaction of the city clerk – something acting-human resources manager Stephen O’Brien, who typically serves as clerk, isn’t convinced is possible.
If that holds true, O’Brien said he’ll come back to council seeking a repeal of the online voting decision. He noted there’s two vendors that seem to meet basic security requirements at this time.
Security of the process and verifiability of results were the key concerns raised throughout the meeting – by council members, city staff and numerous delegates, including some who urged council to approve online voting.
“I want to live in a city who is seen as a leader in equity, not one dragging its feet,” Colin Perkins told council ahead of the vote, acknowledging concern about security. “If we have a real commitment to a fair democracy, we will recognize these are just some of the challenges that go along with holding elections, which is fundamentally a difficult undertaking.”
In a report to council released late last month, city staff raised a number of concerns about online voting and did not recommend it as an option to be offered for the 2026 municipal and school board election.
In addition to the possibility results could be manipulated by a “malicious actor,” staff raised concerns about the inability to conduct recounts using other verifiable methods, as well as public trust in the end results.
Another potential problem is the reliance on vendors regarding technical issues such as available internet bandwidth, which can slow or even postpone the voting process.
“I just can’t support this because of the lay of the land politically and things that are going on. I would feel much better if there were standards, certification of the software process, legislation that wraps around this,” said Coun. Linda Busuttil. “Until that’s there, I really, honestly can’t support this.”
Several delegates, some of them speaking from their own experience as people with disabilities, shared stories of the challenges faced when attempting to cast their ballot independently in previous elections – from chemical sensitivities and immune system deficiencies to mobility issues and more.
“Residents of Guelph living with disabilities deserve, want and need accessible voting now, now another four years down the road when city council gets around to addressing accessibility,” said Jennifer Cameron. “Please don’t delay accessible voting.”
Joining Busuttil in opposition to online voting were councillors Michele Richardson, Phil Allt and Dominique O’Rourke.
“Online voting breaks our democracy,” commented delegate Matt Saunders, suggesting it leaves the door open for coercion and fraud, requiring voters to “blindly trust” the results are provided accurately by the vendor.
“That is a fundamental change in the digital age, where trust in government is nearly gone, where … there’s nonsensical claims of election fraud at the international scale, we simply cannot risk bringing forth even more questions of election legitimacy.”
Council’s decision on Tuesday ratifies the decision it made when it met as the committee of the whole earlier this month.
“The right to vote is paramount. … Equity matters,” said Coun. Erin Caton.
“Human rights should not only exist for those privileged enough to hire lawyers," they added, a likely reference to several delegates who spoke out against online voting and were acknowledged as clients of a municipal lawyer who also addressed council earlier in the evening.
City council approved the use of online voting for the 2014 election, which was applied to advance polling only, but nixed the idea ahead of the 2018 and 2022 contests, witjh privacy concerns cited as the main reason.
Also approved by council on Tuesday were motions to provide free Guelph Transit service on election day, as well as no-cost parking at Market Parade beside city hall.
