Strathcona County set to decide on online voting

Idea rejected by Edmonton, St. Albert

Strathcona County council is expected to decide Tuesday if the municipality will proceed with an Internet voting pilot project that could see online ballots cast as part of October’s civic election.

It’s the last chance for Internet voting in the Capital Region after St. Albert and Edmonton city councils defeated proposals for Internet voting last month. Edmonton city staff tested a proposed online voting system for more than a year, including a mock “jelly bean election” and the verdict of a citizen jury.

A report recommended Edmonton allow Internet voting for advance and special ballots in October’s civic election, but councillors worried the process wasn’t entirely secure and defeated the proposal Feb. 6.

St. Albert councillors voted to stop work on the project two weeks later.

“The proposal itself was put forward as a regional partnership between Edmonton, Strathcona and St. Albert, so with Edmonton’s withdrawal it certainly changed the nature of the partnership,” said Chris Belke, St. Albert’s chief legislative officer.

Strathcona County councillor Jason Gariepy is disappointed Edmonton and St. Albert stopped the project, but still wants to see his municipality move forward with Internet voting.

“We can’t be held behind because our neighbours are afraid to pursue it,” he said.

The province had been working with Edmonton, St. Albert and Strathcona County since last year on introducing Internet voting, already used in dozens of centres in Ontario and Nova Scotia.

Gariepy is confident Strathcona County will be the first in the Capital Region to allow online ballots, after a report on the Internet voting pilot goes to council Tuesday. The report recommends council direct administration not to proceed with the pilot for the 2013 election, but continue to work with Municipal Affairs to amend the legislation to allow for Internet voting in the 2017 election.

While administration believes Internet voting is a “safe and secure voting alternative,” there exists uncertainty on funding and required legislation, the report said.

But Gariepy expects a motion will be put forth to amend the recommendation and adopt Internet voting, and he said he has convinced at least five councillors to vote for it.

If approved by council, the next step would be to ask the minister of municipal affairs to allow online ballots for the 2013 civic election, Gariepy said.

“We’re going to say, ‘Let’s do it, let’s tell the province we’re willing’ and all they have to do is sign the paper,” he said.

But Coun. Peter Wlodarczak isn’t sure the process will be quite that simple, as the move to online voting requires changes to the Local Authorities Election Act.

“The issue hanging over us is whether the law allows it or not,” he said. “It was a pilot between three communities and the two major ones dropped out, so that leaves us alone.”

Coun. Linton Delainey does not want to see Strathcona County move forward with Internet voting.

“I will never, ever accept Internet voting. I don’t trust the Internet,” he said. “I think there’s the possibility of too many problems with security, and I think people still need to take the time to think hard and go down to their polling stations and vote.”

But Coun. Gariepy said the benefits of online voting far outweigh the risks.

“We need to find a way to get more people to come out and vote,” he said “Internet voting is one way that we can do it.”

Grande Prairie, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Airdrie and Lethbridge were also studying online ballots.

On Feb. 6, Airdrie council approved an online-voting system for October’s election.