Brampton Council eyes $370,000 mail-in voting program for October municipal election
Published March 1, 2022 at 11:00 am
Brampton City Council is considering bylaw changes to allow mail-in voting for the city’s municipal election later this year.
Brampton voters will go to the polls in October, and proposed bylaw changes going to council on Wednesday (March 2) could allow for advanced mail-in voting.
Council previously approved the relaunch of a home voting service as an alternative method for Brampton voters who are homebound due to illness, injury or disability.
But city staff now recommend repealing the home voting option in favour of mail-in ballots at a cost of more than $370,000.
“Staff believes that the mail-in voting program can accommodate electors that would be served through the home voting service,” a report to council reads. “Based on initial research and benchmarking, staff understands that the special mail-in voting program will require a significant amount of staff time and effort to plan and implement.”
If the mail-in option is approved by council, the city would need to purchase additional resources including a software module to manage vote by mail applications and two high-speed vote tabulators to process ballots at a faster rate. The city also estimates it would require an additional five election staff to coordinate and implement the mail-in program.
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More than 10,000 Brampton electors voted by mail in the 2021 Federal Election, and the city predicts the program would cost at least $372,050 including a 10 per cent contingency using an estimate of 12,000 electors using the mail-in option. The city said those costs would be covered through the city reserves.
While mail-in ballots would make it more convenient for voters and offer an alternative for residents who can’t attend a polling station, the city said there are also risks involved, including having to rely on the mail system and potential for ballots to be lost or damaged in the mail.
“Mail-in voting would not be an accessible method of voting for electors who are moving residences or who are homeless or may not have a consistent address,” the report reads.
The proposed bylaw changes will go to council on Wednesday.
The city says other large Ontario municipalities like Mississauga, Hamilton, Ottawa and Toronto could also be implementing a special vote by mail program for their municipal elections.
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