Council has decided that Minto residents will vote by mail in the municipal election this fall. It’s a good choice.
Not everyone is in favour of mail-in ballots, and they have their legitimate reasons. They’re concerned about voters abusing the system, those who may cast more than one vote, or voters who choose a candidate according to the influence of a family member.
In a perfect world, all eligible voters would visit a polling station on election day and mark an X on their ballot. Voter turnout would be in the 90 per cent range and the right to vote would be exercised in every election on every level, as it should be.
Such is not the case.
Voter apathy is a problem, not only in individual communities, but also across the country. Sadly, there are too many people who would rather stay at home and keep the easy chair warm than attend a polling station to cast their vote. We’re not talking a scant few here and there. This is, in some cases, the majority of eligible voters.
Bottom line, polling stations aren’t effective because people aren’t going to them.
During Minto’s last traditional election, voter turnout was 19 per cent. That’s laughable and frankly, embarrassing.
Minto council members are aiming to change that.
With mail-in voting, it is hoped more people will take the time to mark a ballot and have their say in municipal government.
This is a system than can benefit both those who don’t bother to vote and those who can’t. Folks who are disabled, don’t drive, or can’t get to a polling station for whatever reason can still make their voice heard. If there’s a snowstorm and drivers can’t go and vote because of road conditions, no problem.
We’re not the first to try this method of voting. The County of Simcoe and the Township of Uxbridge are among several communities which have adopted the practice.
“I think it’s an excellent system,” said Rod Boynton, councillor for the Town of Innisfil. “Last election had a larger voter turnout.”
Some places, the City of Kelowna for example, tried mail-in voting on for size first with some criteria. Only those with an injury, illness, disability or who were absent from the city on election day were eligible to vote by mail.
In addition, mail-in voting has long been an option during federal elections. Voters who were outside of Canada or incarcerated during the election were able to cast votes by mail.
Minto council stopped short of changing the ballot counting method, and rightly so. The possibility of an optical scanner was discussed, but was met with opposition.
“The feeling out there is the process is taken . . . out of people’s hands,” said Deputy Mayor Judy Dirksen.
Council opted instead to stay with the status quo of having ballots tallied by vote counters.
As with everything in life, mail-in voting has its downsides and undoubtedly experiences some glitches. A move like this, however, says something of our council’s character. It would be easy for members to shrug their shoulders and disregard those who don’t take enough interest in our municipal government to cast a vote. Instead, council members are moving pro-actively in trying to reach as many voters as possible. It seems members sincerely want all the voices of their electorate heard. Even if you don’t agree with their actions, you can’t argue with their motives.