Guelph-Eramosa will be using vote by mail for the 2018 municipal election.
After much debate, council decided in a 3-1 vote to use the same voting method as the 2014 municipal election.
Councillor David Wolk was absent and councillor Mark Bouwmeester voted against the resolution.
“Call me old fashioned or traditional, I just prefer the traditional voting method where you go in on a certain day and have those opportunities in advance if you want to,” Bouwmeester said.
“I don’t have a problem with the bylaw and that … it’s just the way it’s written.”
Councillor Corey Woods was also against the resolution supporting vote by mail.
“I really think we’re looking like cavemen if we’re not doing online voting and I know there’s some perceived security risks around online voting, but there’s also risks with any method of voting,” Woods said.
“My preference is online and if it doesn’t work this time around, I would really hope that the direction would be to try and convince everybody else at this table that we need to go that way for going forward.”
Mayor Chris White and councillor Louise Marshall argued that internet connectivity throughout the township is not reliable enough to move to online voting at this time.
“I don’t think we necessarily have equal internet access in the township which over the next couple years with the federal and provincial money will get us there,” White said.
“So I’m with you and I think that’s where we need to go, but I think one more term of vote by mail – let the internet get up to scratch.”
Because Wolk was not present three of the four councillors in attendance were required to support the resolution.
Bouwmeester said he would not support it.
“I don’t want to support this motion but I don’t want to tie staff up in knots,” Woods said.
Mayor Chris White added staff be directed to analyze internet connectivity throughout the township and research online voting methods in order to make a recommendation for the 2022 municipal election.
