OLIVER PAIPOONGE, ON — While Thunder Bay residents will continue to have the long-established option of voting in a polling station, people in the two largest neighbouring municipalities will only be able to cast ballots electronically in their upcoming local elections.
Oliver Paipoonge is following the example set by Shuniah in the past two elections.
There will be no paper ballots and no in-person voting stations.
Oliver Paiponge Mayor Lucy Kloosterhuis says council first discussed the idea four years ago, when internet service in the rural community wasn't as reliable as it is now.
"The reasoning is to try and get more people interested in voting. The number has been under 30 per cent, sometimes significantly under that. We just wanted to give everyone an opportunity to make it easier to vote," she said.
Residents will only be able to vote online or by telephone in the October election.
Kloosterhuis said this will accommodate people who are unable to leave their homes or who are working out of town.
She cited Shuniah's success in increasing the voter turnout when it scrapped paper ballots starting in 2014.
Data obtained from Shuniah by TBnewswatch showed that voter turnout that year rose to 51 per cent from only 36 per cent in the previous election, when ballot voting was the only option.
It fell back to 39 per cent in 2018 but there was no contest for mayor that year, as Wendy Landry was acclaimed.
Oliver Paipoonge will assign staff to a help centre at the municipal offices for individuals who require assistance voting online during advance voting and on election day.
Kloosterhuis feels there's broad acceptance of the switch in the community.
"We did put it out there last year, asking people for their thoughts, and there really was nobody with a lot of concern about going in this direction," she said.
Local resident Doug McChristie disagrees.
"I cannot vote in person. I cannot vote with the normal piece of paper the way I have since I was 21 years old," he said.
McChristie said electronic-only voting negatively affects a demographic "who may or may not be comfortable voting any other way" than the traditional method, a method he referred to as "the backbone of democracy."
He said he has no objection to anyone voting electronically if that's their preference.
Remote electronic voting has become increasingly popular among Ontario municipalities.
In 2018, it was the only option offered in over 150 communities.
But in Thunder Bay a spokesperson for the Office of the City Clerk said the city currently has no plan to do away with in-person voting, the method chosen by over one-third of people who cast ballots in the last election.
The city offered in-person, online and telephone voting in the 2018 election, but has dropped the telephone option for the upcoming vote.
Only five per cent of roughly 41,000 voters who cast ballots the last time did so by phone, compared with 58 per cent who voted online. and 37 per cent who voted in person.
With the introduction of internet and phone voting, the city reduced the number of polling locations from 27 to 13 in 2018.
The city has a process to ensure that in-person voting locations are barrier-free, and works closely with the Accessibility Advisory Committee to review locations before and after each election.
This year, Thunder Bay Transit will again provide free transportation during advance polling and on voting day to any passenger who presents a voter's card.
Election Day is Oct. 24, 2022.
