B.C. municipalities want access to online voting in time for the 2014 civic elections, hoping to boost voter turnout by making it easier to cast a ballot.
At least three communities – Coquitlam, North Vancouver City and Fort St. John – have asked the Union of B.C. Municipalities to push the province for legislative changes to allow Internet voting, saying it would be beneficial to the young, elderly and out-of-town workers.
Vancouver had sought to have online voting in place for this November’s municipal election but the provincial government said it needed more time to consider the move.
Coun. Raymond Louie said voters need another incentive to vote.
“It provides a wider diversity of opportunity for constituents to vote; it certainly does help those with mobility challenges or just in terms of having the opportunity to get out.”
Get breaking National news
The proposals by the three municipalities will be considered by the UBCM at its annual convention, which begins Sept. 26 in Vancouver.
The UBCM noted that while the province said earlier this year that it supports Internet voting, “there are a number of challenges that still need to be addressed” in terms of security and voter identification.
But municipalities like Coquitlam argue it makes sense to allow online voting because residents are already using the Internet for banking, purchases, selling, networking and information.
Both the B.C. Liberals and NDP used online and telephone voting in their recent leadership races, while 44 municipalities in Ontario use online voting.
Coquitlam, which saw a turnout of 21.5 per cent in the 2008 municipal elections compared with a B.C. average of 35 per cent, said in its resolution that Internet voting would help to engage a greater number of voters who might otherwise be “too busy to vote in the traditional manner.”
About 57 per cent of non-voters in Coquitlam’s last municipal election cited time pressures that prevented them from getting out to the polls.
Other issues being raised by municipalities at the UBCM convention include:
• Requests by the Cariboo regional district for legislation for wireless telephone service providers to collect 911 service costs on behalf of local governments upon request; a prohibition on the removal of public telephone booths; and strong encouragement for the provincial and federal governments to move quickly toward ensuring the availability of high-speed Internet and cellphone service in every Canadian community.
• Faster reimbursement of volunteer and career fire rescue services involved in emergencies, and full funding for training dedicated volunteer first responders.
• Licensing and regulating the scrap metal economy in B.C. to prevent loss and damage resulting from metal theft.
• That the province give money raised through proceeds of crime legislation – $17 million has been raised since 2005 – to communities for crime prevention programs.
• That UBCM request that Northern Health work with universities and communities to encourage graduates of medical programs to practise and stay in rural areas of British Columbia.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.