HomeMy WebLinkAboutCLD-027-09~j~' n REPORT
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CLERK'S DEPARTMENT
Meeting: GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE
Date: December 7, 2009 ~eSJ ~ i-c'~'D~ ~ G ~~ - ~n S6-d
Report #: CLD-027-09 File #: By-law #: X069- /7'y
Subject: 2010 MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS
RECOMMENDATIONS:
It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee
recommend to Council the following:
1. THAT Report CLD-027-09 be received;
2. THAT a by-law establishing the hours and dates of the advance votes for the 2010
Municipal Election be passed;
3. THAT the Municipal Clerk be authorized to place advertisements in the local
newspapers as determined necessary in order to increase awareness of the election
process among the Municipality's electorate; and
4. THAT Kerry Maydem and Louis Bertrand be advised of Council's decision.
Submitted by:
PLB*AG
~~~~~ ~
Reviewed by: Franklin Wu,
Chief Administrative Officer
CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON
40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOW MANVILLE, ONTARIO L1C 3A6 T 905-623-3379 F 905-623-6506
REPORT NO.:CLD-027-09
Page 2 of 14
1.0 BACKGROUND AND COMMENT
At the Council meeting held on October 26, 2009, Council passed a resolution to
change the method of conducting municipal elections in the Municipality from
Mail-In Voting and return to a Traditional Paper Ballot at voting station locations,
using a manual count of the ballots. The resolution also called for the use of a
similar number of polling stations and the same principles, rules and procedures
used by the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario to conduct their
elections.
Following that meeting, on November 9, 2009, Council passed a resolution
directing the Municipal Clerk to report on the costs, benefits, possible drawbacks
and other information that the Municipal Clerk deems pertinent, regarding
automatic vote tabulation in comparison with a manual count with respect to the
2010 Municipal Elections.
2.0 MANUAL COUNT VS. VOTE TABULATORS
The following information is prepared in response to the request for staff to
compare vote tabulation equipment to manual counting of ballots.
2.1 Optical Scan
Optical scan technology is used worldwide for the tabulation of paper election
ballots. Tabulators are generally referred to as poll count tabulators and central
count tabulators. The poll count style is a small, rather compact unit, which is
typically used at each designated voting location. The central count tabulator is
used more for applications such as mail-in balloting or where a traditional voting
location type of election is conducted but the ballots are transferred to election
central for tabulation. The Municipality of Clarington used centralized optical
scanners in 2006 to tabulate the election results and the equipment proved very
REPORT NO.:CLD-027-09
Page 3 of 14
successful for us. According to a survey conducted by AMCTO, all other
municipalities within Ontario with an electoral population similar to Clarington or
greater, with the exception of one, will be conducting their count in 2010 using
vote tabulating equipment; a change since 2006 where there were three. While
the use of poll count tabulators would be new to Clarington, staff have more than
15 years experience using a variety of optical scan technologies for conducting
municipal election counts.
Poll count tabulators are very reliable, durable and stable. Although there are
various suppliers, the general principles are the same. Each unit contains an
onboard memory and is programmed to accept only particular ballot designs and
specifications. The units have apass-through process, similar to a desktop
scanner, which ensures that the ballot is not subject to damage. As well, there is
aback-up battery in the event of power failure. Depending on the supplier, some
units capture an electronic image of the ballot and associate that with a text
record of how the ballot was interpreted and counted; an excellent tool in the
event of a recount.
The vote tabulator hardware and software may be programmed so that:
• A printed record of the number of votes cast for each candidate is
provided;
• A ballot that is damaged or defective or has been marked in such a way
that it cannot be properly processed by the scanner shall be returned to
the Election Official;
• An over-voted race (ie, where more votes are marked than are allowed for
any given race) shall be rejected and shall be returned to the Election
Official;
• An under-voted race (ie, where fewer votes are marked than are allowed
for any given race) shall be rejected and shall be returned to the Election
Official;
REPORT NO.:CLD-027-09
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• A blank ballot (ie, no votes indicated in any race on the composite ballot)
shall be rejected and shall be returned to the Election Official; and
• The threshold which will constitute a valid vote based on calibration of the
scanner will be set at the Municipal Clerk's discretion.
2.2 Process Comparisons
The following is a brief summary of the voting process and a comparison
between the Poll Count Tabulator and a Manual Count. Note that the differences
in the two systems have been highlighted.
Poll Count Tabulator
As each elector enters the voting
location, the Traffic Clerk directs the
elector to the appropriate Ballot Clerk.
As each elector arrives at the Ballot
Clerk's table, the Ballot Clerk verifies
that the name of the person is entered
on the Voters' List.
Manual Count
As each elector enters the voting
location, the Traffic Clerk directs the
elector to the appropriate Deputy
Returning Officer (DRO). As each
elector arrives at the DRO's table, the
DRO verifies that the name of the
person is entered on the Voters' List.
The Ballot Clerk issues the appropriate The DRO issues the
ballot along with a marker and secrecy along with a pencil.
The elector immediately proceeds into
the voting compartment and marks the
ballot by marking in the space provided
to the right of the candidate's name for
which the elector wishes to vote.
Examples of acceptable voting marks:
The. elector immediately proceeds into
the voting compartment and marks the
ballot by marking in the space provided
to the right of the candidate's name for
which the elector wishes to vote.
marks:
REPORT NO.:CLD-027-09
Page 5 of 14
Candidate O Candidate O
Candidate ~ Candidate O
Candidate Candidate
O
Candidate • Candidate O
The elector places the ballot into the The elector folds the ballot and
secrecy folder and delivers it and the delivers it and the pencil to the DRO.
marker to the DRO.
The DRO immediately requests that The DRO immediately deposits the
the elector please remain until the folded ballot into the ballot box.
vote tabulator has successfully
accepted the ballot. In full view of
the elector, the DRO places the
secrecy folder containing the
completed ballot on the vote '
tabulator and the vote tabulator
automatically feeds the ballot to the
ballot box.
The vote tabulator is programmed to NIA
reject over-voted races, under-voted
races, blank cards or invalid ballots
(ie, ballots not produced under the
authority of the Municipal Clerk).
Where the ballot is rejected, the vote
tabulator would eject the ballot and
provide a message to the DRO on the
display screen. The elector would
then be advised of their option to
correct the error or not.
REPORT NO.:CLD-027-09
Page6of14
fiabuiation / Cc3untitag Process
Poll Count Tabulator Manual Count
After the close of the voting location and After the close of the voting location and
once every elector in the voting location once every elector in the voting location
at the close of voting has had an at the close of voting has had an
opportunity to cast their ballot, the vote opportunity to cast their ballot, the
tabulator will be directed to print the Election OfFicials will unseal the
election results. The results are ballot box and begin to count the
printed. The box is sealed. ballots. They separate the ballots
into piles based on ballot type and
then proceed, using a tally sheet, to
count the votes for each office
beginning with the Office of Mayor.
The counting process is repeated for
each office. The DRO has the final
decision but his/her decision may be
challenged by a scrutineer. While
any ballot which could potentially
indicate the identity of the elector
who cast the ballot shall be rejected,
there are several situations wherein
the DRO must use discretion in
determinin the voter's intent.
REPORT NO.:CLD-027-09
Page 7 of 14
Poll Count Tabulator
Prior to voting day, each vote
tabulator is run through a logic and
accuracy test with a test deck of
ballots. The results are compared
with a manual count of the same test
deck. This is an open process and is
undertaken to ensure the hardware
NIA
Manual Count
and software are
Prior to the opening of the poll on voting
day, the Election Officials and anyone
else present witness that the ballot box
is empty and the "zero totals report"
is printed. This shows that the
tabulator count is zero and the votes
cast is zero.
Following voting day, each vote
tabulator is run through a logic and
accuracy test with a test deck of
ballots. The results are compared
with a manual count of the same test
deck. This is an open process and is
undertaken to ensure the hardware
Prior to the opening of the poll on voting
day, the Election Officials and anyone
else present witness that the ballot box
is empty.
To ensure that the equipment has performed properly, the images of the ballots
may be reviewed along with the interpretation file generated by the system; as
well, each machine is run through a series of tests both before and after the
election.
As can be seen through the process comparisons above, the use of vote
tabulating equipment at the voting location has minimal, yet positive, impact on
the elector's voting process. Each elector who may have completed their ballot
in a manner that cannot be counted by the equipment is afforded the opportunity
to correct their mistake, without compromising their voting secrecy, thereby
eliminating the opportunity for others to apply their discretion in determining voter
intent.
REPORT NO.:CLD-027-09
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Vote tabulating equipment tallies the votes based on the programmed mark
threshold determined by the Municipal Clerk. With a manual count, votes are
counted by Election Officials after working 10 straight hours and who may be
subject to influence by other Election Officials and/or scrutineers. It has been
determined that the margin of error during a manual count of composite ballots
using a tally sheet is 6%.
3.0 VOTING SUBDIVISIONS
Section 18(1) of the Municipai Elections Act, 9996, as amended (the Act)
provides the Municipal Clerk the authority to divide the municipality into voting
subdivisions. In 2000 when Clarington implemented Vote by Mail, the voting
subdivisions were removed as there was no longer a need for them. In
determining the voting subdivisions, the Municipal Clerk will consider the
following factors: the number of eligible electors, the geography of the area, and
the vote counting method.
The Act is silent on the number of electors to be included in each voting
subdivision, however previous experience proves that a maximum of 300 eligible
electors be the target for each voting subdivision where a manual count is being
conducted. This maximum has proven to be a fair volume of electors to be
processed during voting day by the DRO and Poll Clerk team, and to be the
maximum number of ballots expected to be counted by the DRO and Poll Clerk
at the close of the vote. Any significant change in this maximum could impact the
degree of accuracy in the results. Given this equation, with our 61,100 eligible
electors, there will be approximately 203 voting subdivisions, plus advance polls,
in the Municipality of Clarington for the 2010 elections.
When using vote tabulating equipment, the size of the voting subdivision is driven
more by the ability of the voting location to accommodate the number of eligible
electors rather than the quantity of ballots to be counted.
REPORT NO.:CLD-027-09
Page 9 of 14
The Province runs 146 voting subdivisions, accommodated through
approximately 40 voting locations within Clarington, which equates to
approximately 418 electors per poll. The difference in the number of electors
between a Provincial Election and a Municipal Election can be accounted for by
the difference in the complexity of the ballot. In the last Provincial Election, the
layout of ballots in each voting subdivision was as follows:
REPORT NO.:CLD-027-09
Page 10 of 14
A sample of the Ward 2English-Language Public School Board ballot from the
last Municipal Election is shown below:
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REPORT NO.:CLD-027-09
Page 11 of 14
4.0 ELECTION COSTS
The last election that the Municipality ran using a traditional vote and a manual
count was in 1997. At that time, the number of eligible electors in the
Municipality was 44,980 and the actual cost of running the election was
$134,280. The Municipality would have been divided into approximately 130
polls.
In comparing the manual count system to the vote tabulating equipment, a great
difference of cost is found in the staffing required. With a manual count, each of
the voting subdivisions and the advance polls will require a DRO and a Poll
Clerk. Additionally, at voting locations where there are more than two voting
subdivisions casting ballots, there will also be a Traffic Clerk to assist in directing
electors to the appropriate table and at least one Revision Clerk. With the use of
vote tabulating equipment, each of the locations would require one DRO, at least
four Ballot Clerks, two Revision Clerks and one Traffic Clerk. Also, in a manual
count, the number of individuals required at the Municipal Administrative Centre
to receive and input the initial election results and to meet the DROs and collect
their statements and supplies is greater than that required with the vote
tabulators.
A comparison of initial cost estimates for running the election using a manual
count and by using vote tabulators has been completed as follows:
REPORT NO.:CLD-027-09
Page 12 of 14
ll~anual
`Count ! Vo#e
Tabulators
Election Officials votin locations $90,500 $35,000
Temporary support staff (Municipal Clerk's
office $13,000 $8,000
Election Su lies ens, boxes, to e, etc $35,000 $35,000
Printing & Reproduction (ballots, voters'
lists, forms $10,000 $10,000
Posta a voter notification cards $22,000 $22,000
Advertisin $6,000 $6,000
Vote tabulating equipment
hardware/software $0 $63,000
Recordin and Results Dis la Software $28,000 $0
A.V. a ui ment for accessibilit $17,000 $17,000
List Mana ement Software $12,000 $12,000*
Voter Notification roduction $4,000 $4,000
Votin Location rentals $9,000 $1,000
Total $233,500 $204,000
Note that in reviewing the previous staff report, Report CLD-020-09, it has been
determined that the amount of $12,000 for list management software was
inadvertently omitted from the cost estimate for the traditional paper ballot with
vote tabulator equipment.
5.0 OTHER ELECTION MATTERS
5.1 Advertising
In order to raise awareness of the election, staff is requesting Council's approval.
to publish additional ads to those required by legislation. These ads will address
such items as nominations, the method of election, the voters' list publication and
the necessity for electors to ensure they are included on it, various dates
referenced in the legislation and where to find additional information related to
the election. Although some notices and their timing are legislated, many of the
ads generally published are information items only. Although not legislated,
REPORT NO.:CLD-027-09
Page 13 of 14
these notices are necessary in order to raise awareness of the election and the
importance of electors to ensure they are included in the process.
5.2 Advance Polls
Section 43 (1) of the Act requires that a by-law be passed to establish one or more
dates for an advance vote and the hours during which voting places shall be open on
that date or dates. Prior to 2000, advance polls were held the Saturday 10 days prior to
and the Wednesday immediately prior to the election. Bill 212, in its current form,
changes voting day to October 25, 2010. To better serve our electors, staff
recommends increasing our advance voting opportunities as follows:
Date Time General Location
Sat., October 16 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 .m. One location er ward
Sun., October 17 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. One central location in
Bowmanville, o en to all electors
Mon., October 18 &
Tues., October 19 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. One central location in
Bowmanville, o en to all electors
Wed., October 20 10:00 a.m. -8:00 .m. One location erward
The voting locations for the advance polls have not been determined at this point.
Should the proposed voting day (October 25, 2010) be changed once Bill 212
receives Royal Assent, these dates will be altered accordingly.
5.3 Accessibility
Accessibility issues for both our electors and our election workers will be the
subject of a further report once Bill 212 receives Royal Assent and more detailed
information on the requirements to be met is available to staff.
REPORT NO.:CLD-027-09
Page 14 of 14
6.0 SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This report has been prepared at Council's request for information pertaining to
the use of vote tabulation in comparison to a manual count process for the
municipal election in 2010. In conjunction with this information, the requirement
for the advance poll hour and dates, as well as the need for advertising in
addition to the legislated requirements has been addressed. Accordingly, staff is
recommending that the by-law to establish the advance polls be passed and that
authority be given to the Municipal Clerk to advertise information deemed.
necessary to raise awareness of the election process in the local newspaper.
THE CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON
BY-LAW NO. 2009-
Being a By-law to provide for advance votes to be held prior to the 2010
Voting Day.
WHEREAS Section 43(1) of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, as Amended provides that a
municipal council shall pass a by-law establishing one or more dates for an advance vote, and
the hours during which voting places shall be open on that date or dates;
NOW THEREFORE THE COUNCIL OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON HEREBY
ENACTS AS FOLLOWS:
1. THAT an advance vote shall beheld on Saturday, October 16, 2010 between the hours
of 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. in one location per ward; and
2. THAT an advance vote shall be held on Sunday, October 17, 2010 between the hours
of 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. in one central location in Bowmanville, open to all electors;
and
3. THAT an advance vote shall be held on Monday, October 18, 2010 between the hours
of 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. in one central location in Bowmanville, open to all electors;
and
4. THAT an advance vote shall be held on Tuesday, October 19, 2010 between the hours
of 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. in one central location in Bowmanville, open to all electors;
and
5. THAT an advance vote shall be held on Wednesday, October 20, 2010 between the
hours of 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. in one location per ward.
BY-LAW read a first, second and third time this 14~h day of December 2009
Jim Abernethy, Mayor
Patti L. Barrie, Municipal Clerk