ELECTIONS FROM PAGE 1 said the department turned to May’s provincial election. B.C. voters will be asked in a elect two or more candidates,
technology to replace physical “We’re the first jurisdiction referendum to approve a new meaning longer ballots and as
Provincial elections are run enumeration. The result was a in North America to have an Single Transferable Ballot many as 70 candidates, including
similarly to federal votes but Web-based system that lets people online voter registration system,” electoral system, or STV. Under multiple candidates from the
some innovation is happening register, update and confirm their said Porayko. “It has been very STV, rather then voting for one same political party.
in B.C. Hit with a 35 per cent information online. Porayko said effective.” candidate, voters are asked to STV makes ballot counting
funding cut in 2001, Elections BC it cost just $300,000 to develop, Bigger change may be on rank them in order of preference. more complicated, and B.C.’s
spokesperson Jennifer Porayko and was a huge success in last the way. In November 2008 Ridings will be enlarged and will fixed election date legislation
means Elections BC must be
ready to run an election using
STV in May 2009.
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“It entails a couple of years
of work to plan and prepare,
so…we’re going to have two
‘trucks’ ready, one for the
current system and one for STV,”
said Porayko. “[STV] is very
complicated and will require
technology.”
More technology is being
used at the municipal level. In
Toronto, the city’s director of
elections, Greg Essensa, said on
e-day each polling place has an
automated optical vote scanner
and tabulator.
Electronic ballot box system used in Toronto.
The elector marks their
choices and the ballot is fed
into the tabulator, which reads
the selections. Essensa said the
technology is similar to that
which you’d find in a grocery
store, and in the last election it
allowed 75 per cent of polls to
report within 30 minutes.
Also, if the machine decides
a ballot is not marked properly
it can be returned to the elector
to review and correct, ensuring
the integrity of the process is
maintained.
“After amalgamation, when the
city was looking at which form of
vote counting system we would
use, the feedback we received
from residents and candidates
was (that they wanted) a system
where we maintained a hard
copy or hard paper ballot or as a
backup,” said Essensa.
He said his office is always
considering new ways to use
technology and won’t rule out
e-voting down the road, but
currently the chief hurdle is one
of security. 055746
