The demise of in-person voting in this year’s Barrie election has been greatly exaggerated.
While the election will feature online and phone voting to elect the next mayor, city councillors and school board trustees, there will still be in-person voting.
“We didn’t want to take away all the opportunities for people to vote in person, if that’s what they want to do, because it’s a transition for everybody, from doing everything in person to almost like a hybrid model, where people can come vote in person or they can vote at home,” said city clerk Wendy Cooke, who is also Barrie’s director of legislative and court services.
“Some people have difficulty getting to the voting locations, so you can vote from the convenience of your own home,” she dded. “And we are offering in-person voting. It will be using the internet telephone voting technology. There are voter assistance centres that people can come to, to vote, and we have extended hours at city hall for voter help lines, so if people want to call… all that information is on their voter information letter.”
In-person voter assistance centres will be available Oct. 20, 21, 22 and 24 to help with the voting process and to cast a ballot. Locations and times are included in voter information letters.
“You can vote at the voter assistance centres,” Cooke said. “You can use the phone or we’re going to have laptop computers and iPads.”
Locations and times are included in voter information letters, which are coming by regular mail starting this week.
And the ‘Barrie Votes Bus’ will be back this election, which also allows in-person voting, Oct. 15, 17 and 18.
Barrie had only in-person voting in 2018, using touch-screen technology, but no online or phone voting. Turnout four years ago was 27,652 — or 30 per cent.
But Cooke said only online and phone voting was used in the 2020 Ward 3 byelection. Voter turnout was 23.8 per cent.
“It just seems the next step in the progression for voting. We’ve done electronic voting in the past,” she said. “We haven’t done paper ballots, per se, in a number of elections, so this is just the next progression.
“We’re hoping for a higher voter turnout, for sure. It’s a very accessible way of voting as well,” Cooke added.
Electors who are on the voters’ list will receive a voter information letter by regular mail starting this week. Voter information cards will contain a personal information number (PIN) specific to the elector, with information on the voting process and casting a ballot for Barrie's 2022 municipal election.
Those not receiving their voter information letter by Oct. 7 should call 705-728-8683 or visit Barrie City Hall at 70 Collier St. The election office is on the first floor.
For any assistance call 705-728-8683 (VOTE) or email [email protected].
To vote you must be a Canadian citizen, be 18 years of age or older as of Oct. 24, 2022, be a Barrie resident, a Barrie property owner or tenant or spouse of a Barrie property owner or tenant, and not prohibited from voting by law.
For more information, visit barrie.ca/election.
