Electors can be assured that the secrecy of their ballots cast in the 2018 municipal election is secure.
The Municipality of Kincardine Council opted for Internet/Telephone voting for the upcoming October 22 election. This method of voting has been used by a number of municipalities in Ontario and other areas for several years. In Bruce County, six of the eight municipalities are using this method and have been working cooperatively, along with the service provider Dominion Voting Systems for the 2018 election.
Chief Administrative Officer Sharon Chambers indicated “The Municipality has every confidence in the Internet/Telephone voting systems provided by Dominion Voting.”
The secrecy and confidentiality of the individual votes is paramount and one of the fundamental principles of an election. Internet/Telephone voting upholds this principle as municipal Staff, nor anyone else, can trace which candidates an elector has voted for. The voter credentials (Voter ID and PIN) are not associated with the content of the completed ballot. Similar to a traditional paper based election where once a voter has marked their ballot and deposited it in the ballot box there remains no connection between the voter and the cast ballot. Or the Vote by Mail system, where once the elector is stricken off the list as having voted, their declaration and their ballot envelope are separated so there is no
linkage between them. The Dominion Voting Internet/Telephone voting system only uses the Voter ID
and PIN credentials in order to ensure that a voter has the right to vote and does not maintain any connection to the completed ballot.
Once a voter has completed their electronic ballot their voter credentials are “struck off” and are not
able to be used again. This is the same process as a voter being struck off the Voters’ List once they have attended the polling station or through Vote by Mail. With Internet/Telephone voting, once a voter has completed the ballot, their selections are stored in the electronic ballot box in an encrypted format, and any association with the voter has been severed. There is no ability to connect a voter and the completed ballot. Additionally, no one can access the ballot vote counts during an active election to see how many votes any particular candidate has received thus far.
Stephen Beamish of Dominion Voting said “The cornerstone to any democratic electoral process is ensuring the anonymity of the voter and the secrecy of the ballot. Dominion’s Internet and Telephone voting solution ensures that at no point in the voting process or during the storage of the encrypted electronic ballot record is it possible for any individual or group to determine how an individual
voter has voted. Just like in the traditional paper-based voting process, once the voter has completed the ballot and dropped it into the ballot box, there is no way to determine which ballot belongs to a specific individual. Founded in Toronto in 2003, Dominion Voting Systems currently services and supports over 1,200 jurisdictions across North America, as such we have deployed tens of thousands of voting devices and successfully and securely conducted thousands of elections.”
If electors have questions about the voting system, they may contact the Municipality at 519-396-3468 ext. 7113 or email clerk@kincardine.net.
Voter Information Sessions are being offered at the following dates and times for members of the public if they would like more details on casting their ballot by internet or telephone:
• Wed. October 10, 2018 – 2 p.m. Malcolm Place, 255 Durham St. Kincardine
• Thurs. October 11, 2018 – 11 a.m. Tiverton Park Manor, 24 King St. Tiverton
• Thurs. October 11, 2018 – 2 p.m. Trillium Court, 550 Philip Pl. Kincardine
Staff will be on hand to explain the process of how to cast a ballot by internet or telephone.
Electors who require assistance or access to the internet for voting purposes may visit the Municipal Administration Centre at 1475 Concession 5, Kincardine:
• Monday October 15 to Friday October 19 – 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Saturday October 20 – 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• Sunday October 21 – 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• Monday October 22 – 8:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Free internet access is available at the Kincardine and Tiverton Libraries for electors casting their ballots.
For more information, please contact:
Donna MacDougall,
Clerk
(519) 396-3468
clerk@kincardine.net
