Changes are in the works for the way votes will be counted in the next municipal election in North Battleford.
At their meeting Monday, city councillors authorized administration to arrange for the use of voting machines to conduct the counting for the 2020 municipal election in the city.
Voters can expect a much faster process in determining results of the municipal election. Under this process, voters mark a ballot, and those are entered into a machine that electronically conducts the tabulation of each ballot entered.
“We can have results very, very quickly,” said Director of Legislative Services Debbie Wohlberg.
Up to now, voters have cast their votes using paper ballots, which are deposited in a ballot box and then counted manually by election workers after the polls close. The entire count can take several hours to complete, meaning additional time for election workers who have already spent 12 hours at the polling station.
According to a memo from Wohlberg, dated Nov. 25, the plan to bring in electronic voting will allow for fewer polling places to be established and will need fewer election workers for vote counting.
For voters, the new process does not involve voters “pressing buttons” or pulling levers like elections in United States do.
In speaking to the News-Optimist, Wohlberg explained what voters can expect. She said voters can still expect to bring their voter ID and fill out their voter registration form, and register to get their ballots. Noticeably, voters will not receive individual paper ballots for mayor, councillor, school board or any referendum questions.
“What you’re going to get is one sheet ballot,” said Wohlberg, that looks almost like a “survey or a multiple choice exam where you have to [fill] in the circle beside whatever answer you want to pick. That’s what the ballot looks like, but it can have everything on it.”
The voter then marks their choices secretly behind the voter screen.
Instead of folding the ballot and dropping it in a ballot box, the sheet is placed in a folder and then taken to the supervisor of the voting machine, who then feeds the ballot into the machine to be counted. Wohlberg explains that machine then reads where you marked those circles and tabulates all the results.
A number of cities in Saskatchewan use this kind of electronic voting, which has been in place in municipal elections in other provinces for several years.
Most recently, electronic voting has been introduced to provincial elections in provinces such as New Brunswick and Ontario. There is no electronic voting yet in federal elections, where paper ballots are counted by hand.
Wohlberg emphasizes what is happening in North Battleford is not to be confused with “internet voting” where people mark ballots online.
For this election, city voters will still need to come to the polling station,register and cast their vote.
“The only difference is you don’t get individual ballots where you fold them up and put them back in the ballot box,” Wohlberg said.
Because votes will be counted electronically, the belief at City Hall is that fewer election workers will be needed to count the votes on election day. This is seen as important for the 2020 election, as a provincial election is set to take place on Oct. 26, just a couple of weeks before the municipal vote takes place on Nov. 9. The city expects this could mean challenges in finding election workers for the municipal vote.
The next step for administration is to move ahead with making arrangements to rent the equipment and software needed for the 2020 election from the company supplying the machines. Costs of renting the equipment as well as ballots and training for election workers are included in the 2020 budget.
As well, a bylaw that outlines the process to be followed will be brought in during the new year for approval.
