Ottawa city officials propose making mail-in ballots, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 If approved, mail-in ballots will be in addition to in-person voting in the next municipal elections in Ottawa.

Your next vote for mayor, city council, and school board trustee could be by mail if council members approve a proposal from city staff.

A report from city staff said: "This process will give voters the opportunity to vote without having to attend the polling station in person." "More specifically, this process will allow all eligible voters, especially those in vulnerable groups, including seniors, voters with disabilities, and those at higher risk of the effects of COVID-19, to apply to the Elections Office to receive a mail-in ballot."

The staff explained in the report that mail-in ballots will be in addition to in-person voting, and voters will still have the option to vote in person or by mail if they choose.

The proposal is scheduled to be presented to the Ottawa Economic and Financial Development Committee next week. The proposed bylaw would authorize the city clerk to set details of mail-in voting, such as the dates, times, and locations where mail-in ballots must be received in order to be counted.

These proposed changes would be for the regular 2022 municipal elections, and any by-elections that may occur during the subsequent council term.

Mail-in ballots were used in the 2020 Cumberland by-election, but this would be the first time mail-in voting is used to conduct a regular municipal election in Ottawa.

While staff recommend city council members approve mail-in voting, they do not recommend online voting or telephone voting. The city's current election software provider does not offer a telephone option, and city staff feel there are currently no national technical standards for authentication of online voting systems, nor for auditing or verifying the results they produce.

Staff added in the report: "To staff’s knowledge, none of the current online voting systems produce any paper trail." As such, a recount would not be possible because a ballot paper does not exist."

The mail-in voting proposal is scheduled to be on the agenda of the March 1 meeting of the Finance and Economic Development Committee. If approved, the item will advance to city council for final approval on March 9.

Editor: Dima Abu Khair