Voter Information

Municipal Election: You are eligible to vote if you meet the following criteria: 

• You are a Canadian citizen at least 18 years old; and
• Either a resident in the Municipality of Centre Hastings or a non-resident of the municipality but you or your spouse own or rent property; and
• You are not prohibited from voting under any law.

Any individual voter may only vote once in the election regardless of how many properties he or she rents or owns.  

If you are a student who resides in your municipality while you are not attending your post-secondary institution, you may be eligible to vote in both the municipality where you attend school as well as the municipality you consider ‘home’ when you are not attending college or university. 

Municipal Election: You may not vote if you are:

• A person serving a sentence of imprisonment in a penal or correctional institution;
• A corporation; or
• A person acting as executor or trustee in any other representative capacity; or
• A person convicted of a corrupt practice for an election held within for years of voting day.

School Board Trustee Election: You are eligible to vote if you meet the following criteria:  

• 18 years of age or older and;
• A Canadian citizen and;
• A resident of the municipality (owner or renter of property)

An owner or tenant of a non-residential property, or his or her spouse, is not eligible to vote for School Board Trustee.

For any questions or clarification regarding who is eligible to vote please contact election@centrehastings.com

The method has been used in Ontario for more than 15 years. 217 Municipalities in Ontario utilized internet voting during the 2022 municipal election. Users of online voting identified that they found the method to be easy, simple, straight forward, convenient and private.

Internet and telephone voting solutions provide:

• Convenient and accessible voting
• Fast and accurate election results
• Utilizing the latest technological and security advances ensuring confidence in the integrity of the voting process

Accessibility Information:

One of the primary benefits of internet voting is increased accessibility. Advocates allege that internet voting is the only method that allows for some voters with disabilities to completely mark a ballot, in private, without the assistance of a designated friend or Election Official.

Internet/telephone voting addresses most accessibility issues since people can vote from anywhere. Many people with accessibility issues have, where necessary, already made accommodation to be able to use the internet. Internet voting also has measures to warn the voter of any over-votes or blank offices making it more difficult for an elector to spoil his/her ballot.

Security

Any internet voting system being considered must be directly consistent with the principles guiding municipal elections, as contained in the MEA, as follows:

• The secrecy and confidentiality of the individual is paramount.
• The election should be fair and non-biased.
• The election should be accessible to the voters.
• The integrity of the process should be maintained throughout the election.
• There be certainty that the results of the election reflect the votes cast.
• Voters and candidates should be treated fairly and consistently within a municipality.