Some voting changes are on the way for the City of Waterloo, which is set to pilot a new initiative looking to support at-home voting options ahead of the upcoming municipal election.
The move comes after discussions amongst city councillors during their latest meeting, with a motion looking to add new options to vote for those who are sick, injured, or disabled.
Those options include residents being able to assign a proxy to cast their ballot on their behalf.
“Voters unable to attend a voting location in person can also assign a proxy to cast their ballot,” the city said in a release.
“The vote at home pilot will provide an additional option for those who may prefer not to assign a proxy.”
The City of Kitchener has said it already plans to integrate drive-thru and at-home voting options into its election process as well, but did specify that it would stay away from directly online methods in order to dissuade cybersecurity concerns.
“The City of Kitchener was presenting their information about their voting process for this year, and I just want to say that it was very well received that we are including the home voting option,” said Councillor Sandra Hanmer.
“I know we had one-off done it with a few residents in my ward through the last two elections, and I know it’s going to be very well received.”
Voter turnout is also set to be a priority for the city, which said it will continue with its popular Supervote locations as well as extend voting hours over the Thanksgiving weekend.
“This enables voters to vote at a location more convenient to them and provides an additional option to the local polling station,” the city said.
“Advance voting on Thanksgiving weekend has also been popular, providing an opportunity for those who attend school in other cities to vote while at home for the holiday weekend. ”
The municipal election is slated for the fall, coming up on October 26.
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