Mississauga’s General Committee recently discussed potential enhancements for the 2018 Municipal Election including Internet Voting, ‘Vote Anywhere’ and Ranked Ballot Elections. ‘Vote Anywhere’ was selected as the preferred enhancement.

“Municipal election administration is changing in Ontario and we are committed to modernizing and improving voter experience,” said Crystal Greer, Director of Legislative Services and City Clerk. “’Vote Anywhere’ will enable electors to vote at any voting location or poll without geographic restriction as well as maximize accessibility and convenience to electors and reduce wait times.”

Following a presentation on the three options, General Committee accepted the recommendation from Governance Committee that staff implement ‘Vote Anywhere’ for the 2018 Municipal Election and that the City of Mississauga wait for the Province to test the ranked ballot option before it is implemented for a municipal election.

Other enhancements discussed and included in the Corporate Report prepared for Governance Committee were Internet Voting and Ranked Choice Elections. Internet Voting provides an alternative voting channel for voters but it has not been found to increase voter turnout. The option for Ranked Ballot Elections has been introduced by the changes to the Municipal Elections Act (MEA) and will alter the process for electing candidates into office by permitting a ranking of preferred candidates.