Nanaimo council members will push for online voting when representatives from B.C. communities meet later this month to discuss provincial policy issues.
Three communities have aggressively lobbied for online voting. Coquitlam, North Vancouver City and Fort St. John have all urged the Union of B.C. Municipalities to take the issue to the provincial government. Minister of Communities Ida Chong said the B.C. Elections Act has to change to allow Internet voting.
Privacy concerns remain the largest fear against the new format, whether it be at the local, provincial or federal level. Some communities in other provinces have successfully adopted online voting, but larger scale elections are much more difficult, according to industry experts.
Nanaimo supported Vancouver’s push to try a new system in the November civic election, but the lack of support from the provincial government put an end to that.
Full Article: Council pushes for online voting in B.C.