Council is asking the city to reconsider the advanced polling situation for the municipal election.
Some councillors are wondering why there are no advanced paper polling stations organized for this fall’s municipal election. Late last year, council voted to make the election electronic. The city says this includes the advanced polls. City Clerk Steph Palmateer says online voting will open on October 2nd and run until the polls close on Election Day, which actually gives residents 22 days to vote.
Councillors say some residents aren’t comfortable with using computers or don’t have internet access, so there may be a drop in people participating in the election. The threat of security and secrecy in the voting process has also been a concern brought to council. Palmateer says City Hall will have an online voting station and staff on hand to assist anyone who may need help using the online system.
He says the system is also very secure. Palmateer explains that you must have an e-mail account set up. You would register your voting account online and be given a code that you will have to use at the voting stations or on your own computer. He says when you go to vote you will enter that code and be asked a security question that only you would know the answer to making the system a two-step secure process.
Palmateer says he will take another look at the process and consider bringing back the traditional advanced paper voting stations. His decision will come back to council.