HomeMy WebLinkAboutLGS-004-23Staff Report
If this information is required in an alternate accessible format, please contact the Accessibility
Coordinator at 905-623-3379 ext. 2131.
Report To: General Government Committee
Date of Meeting: January 9, 2023 Report Number: LGS-004-23
Submitted By:
Reviewed By:
File Number:
Report Subject:
Rob Maciver, Deputy CAO / Municipal Solicitor
Mary-Anne Dempster, CAO By-law Number:
Resolution#: GG-036-23
2022 Municipal Elections – Post-Election Accessibility Report
Recommendation:
1.That Report LGS-004-23, and any related delegations or communication items, be
received; and
2.That a copy of Report LGS-004-23 be placed on the municipal website.
Municipality of Clarington Page 2
Report LGS-004-23
Report Overview
This report is intended to provide information regarding Clarington’s 2022 Municipal
Elections, specifically as it pertains to initiatives that were incorporated into the electoral
process to provide greater accessibility and inclusivity for Clarington ele ctors.
1. Background
1.1 In February 2022, Council received Report LGS-003-22, which outlined Clarington’s
2022 Municipal Elections accessibility plan in accordance with the Municipal Elections
Act, 1996 (MEA). The following is an excerpt from the MEA:
12.1 (1) A clerk who is responsible for conducting an election shall have
regard to the needs of electors and candidates with disabilities.
12.1 (2) The clerk shall prepare a plan regarding the identification,
removal and prevention of barriers that affect electors and candidates with
disabilities and shall make the plan available to the public before voting
day in a regular election.
12.1 (3) Within 90 days after voting day in a regular election, the clerk
shall prepare a report about the identification, removal and prevention of
barriers that affect electors and candidates with disabilities and shall make
the report available to the public.
1.2 Staff provide the following report as information only, in accordance with the MEA.
1.3 Clarington’s 2022 Municipal Elections were conducted via internet and telephone voting.
Ten Election Assistance Centres (EACs) were open on Voting Day (October 24), with a
combination of those EACs and other locations being open on varying dates from
Tuesday, October 18 until Saturday, October 22. Although EACs were spread out
throughout the Municipality, voters were able to attend any EAC to receive the
assistance they needed or to vote. Clarington Municipal Library Staff were also trained
on how to assist voters, which provided additional locations and hours for voters to seek
assistance, and to vote. Clarington Election Officials also attended six Special Voting
Locations (retirement / nursing homes and the hospital).
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Report LGS-004-23
2. Election
Accessibility Review
2.1 To ensure dignity, integration, independence, and fairness, and provide an equal
opportunity for all Clarington voters, the Clerk’s Division undertook several initiatives
during the 2022 Clarington Municipal Elections.
2.2 Clarington’s 2022 Municipal Election permitted voters to vote from home, allowing
people to use their own assistive devices, as neede d.
2.3 Clarington had 1,928 more votes cast in 2022 than in the 2018 Municipal Elections.
The voter turnout percentage was slightly lower in 2022 (28% in 2022, 28.5% in
2018) because Clarington had 8,098 more voters on the Voters’ List in 2022,
compared to 2018.
2.4 The Clerk’s Division were able to meet, or exceed, the suggestions made in the
2022 Clarington Municipal Elections Accessibility Plan and all items in the 2022 Plan
will be considered for the 2026 Plan. The highlights include the following:
Action
number
from Plan
Action Details
3.2 Accessibility Advisory Committee
will review and provide input on
the accessibility initiatives.
The Committee reviewed, and
endorsed, the 2022 Clarington
Municipal Elections Accessibility
Plan and members attended the
internet / telephone voting
demonstration in June 2022.
3.3 Use an accessibility checklist for
reviewing potential EACs.
The checklist ensured that all
features of the EACs were
inspected.
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Report LGS-004-23
Action
number
from Plan
Action Details
4.5 Ensure communication material
was available in alternate formats
and free of charge.
All election forms and materials
were created in accessible formats.
Each candidate was provided with a
hardcopy of the candidate
information package. Additionally,
these materials were also posted on
the website and offered in electronic
format.
Communications were distributed
via all methods, including, print, the
website, via video, email, community
signs, etc. See below for a full list of
advertisements.
4.8 Promote the election through
various engagement
opportunities.
Clerk’s Division Staff attended,
daytime and weekend community
events and conducted revision days
at the Special Voting Locations and
at Wilmot Creek.
Clerk’s Division Staff also conducted
mock elections (allowing residents to
try the internet voting system)
4.12 Post all election information on
the Municipality’s Election
website.
All election information was posted
and maintained on the election
website Clarington.net/votes and
met the WCAG 2.0 requirements.
4.15 Municipal election website will
have a dedicated accessibility
section.
The website had a designated
“Accessibility” button at the top right
of each page, which took people
directly to the Accessibility
information.
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Report LGS-004-23
Action
number
from Plan
Action Details
4.28 Internet / telephone voting allows
voters to cast their ballot from
anywhere with an internet
connection or touch-tone
telephone, whether the voter is ill,
works days or nights, has a
disability, or has trouble travelling.
Allowing voters to vote from
anywhere allowed them to vote
using their systems and devices that
they use for everyday life. See
below for some examples of how
this helped voters.
4.32 Telephone voting was an option
for voters who could not use the
internet for any reason, including
bad eyesight.
791 voters (4%) voted via the
telephone.
4.46 A minimum of one voting booth
per EAC shall be wheelchair or
scooter accessible.
Scooters were observed using these
voting booths with some voters
commenting that they appreciated
the access.
4.56 Note pads and pens will be
available at all EACs to assist in
communicating with voters who
are deaf, deafened, or hard of
hearing.
Election Officials did assist a couple
of voters who were deaf or deafened
and used the note pads and pens
provided to communicate with them.
They were provided the assistance
they needed and voted without
issue.
2.5 The Clerk’s Division will continue to learn, develop, and adjust our approaches to
meet the needs of voters with disabilities.
Communication / Advertising Activities
2.6 As this was the first internet / telephone voting election for the Municipality of
Clarington, the Election Team decided to increase the number, and method, of
communications about the election. As a result, Election Officials, working with
Clarington’s Communications Division, released or conducted the following
communication activities.
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Newspaper Advertisements
o 33 advertisements were run from March to October 2022 in the Clarington This
Week and Orono Times (the Orono Times shuts down for two weeks during the
summer, which is why the total number of advertisements is odd). These
included several legislated advertisements about the nomination period and the
positions to be elected.
Clarington also conducted a Metroland Website Takeover on October 19 (sample
included in Attachment 1), which was a full digital takeover of durhamregion.com, where
the Clarington Election information was included on all the webpages. This resulted in
93,184 Impressions and 206 clicks.
Tax insert advertisement (Attachment 2)
o 35,512 packages containing the tax insert with the election information were
sent.
Portable Banners – 8 banners were created, displaying 3 different messages. These
banners were rotated between the following municipal facilities:
o Municipal Administrative Centre,
o Bowmanville Library Branch,
o Garnet B. Rickard,
o South Courtice Arena,
o Courtice Community Complex,
o Courtice Library Branch,
o Newcastle Library Branch,
o Diane Hamre Recreation Centre,
o Orono Library Branch, and
o Bowmanville Indoor Soccer.
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Portal Banners were taken to community events that Clerk’s Division Staff attended,
including the:
o Clarington Farmers Market,
o Newcastle Harvest Festival and
o Apple Festival and Craft Sale.
Portable Banners were taken to the Special Voting Locations.
5 Arena (rink) Boards were placed in each ice pad:
o Garnet B. Rickard x 2
o South Courtice Arena x 2
o Darlington Sports Centre
Electronic (Scala TV screens) Signs
o 3 messages were created and displayed at different times (total time was from
July 1 to October 24) on the TV screens within municipal facilities.
Park / Road Billboards were placed at 4 locations from August 25 to October 25 (picture
within Attachment 1):
o Garnet B. Rickard on Bowmanville Avenue
o Courtice, Highway 2 and Trulls Road Parkette
o Newcastle – Highway 2 at the Library
o Orono – Mill Street South
Bus shelter advertisements were placed in 3 bus shelters from September 12 to
October 24 at (picture within Attachment 1):
o the Courtice Parkette / Highway 2 Westbound,
o Bowmanville – Highway 2 Eastbound, and
o the Newcastle Library.
Election Assistance Centres all had roadside signs.
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An election hotline shortcut was created for Clarington’s automated telephone system.
Magnet Vehicle Signs were placed on 41 municipal vehicles .
Postcards and election-branded flying discs and pens were handed out at every event
the Clerk’s Division Staff attended.
Posters were placed in community hall boards, municipal facilities, community centres
and libraries.
All outgoing mail had the Election logo and website on the envelope.
o This began following the Provincial Election in June.
Election information was provided to long-term care homes in Clarington for inclusion in
their newsletters.
Radio Advertisements
o CKDO (107.7 FM, 1580 AM) – has 42,000 listeners tune in weekly and 63.9% of
those listeners are aged between 55 and 74.
20 commercials between August 8 to August 12, advising voters to get ready to
vote online or by telephone and to check if they are on the Voters’ List.
10 commercials between October 18 to October 22, advising voters that the
voting period was now open.
o 94.9 The Rock – has 121,900 listeners tune in weekly and 53% of those listeners
are aged between 35 and 54.
20 commercials between August 8 to August 12, advising voters to get ready to
vote online or by telephone and to check if they are on the Voters’ List.
10 commercials between October 18 to October 22, advising voters that the
voting period was now open.
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o KX96 – has 184,800 listeners tune in weekly and 27% of those listeners are aged
between 25 and 34.
20 commercials between August 8 to August 12, advising voters to get ready to
vote online or by telephone and to check if they are on the Voters’ List.
10 commercials between October 18 to October 22, advising voters that the
voting period was now open.
Advertisements on Rogers TV in collaboration with Durham Region and the Durham
municipalities (September 11 to October 23):
o TV commercial – 15 seconds
o Web commercial – 30 seconds
Created a dedicated website at Clarington.net/votes, which housed all the election
information, including Candidate information.
Clarington Website banners:
o 5 website alert banners were displayed at the top of the Clarington website.
Banners were changed depending on the information being promoted at that
time.
o Homepage banners (5 key messages throughout the election period).
o 6 news items were sent to subscribers regarding the municipal election
information from the Region of Durham.
Social Media – 106 messages between March 1 and October 31, 2022
o Facebook – 60 posts (8 paid Facebook advertisements targeted to people 18+
located in Clarington)
o Twitter – 44 posts
o LinkedIn – 2 posts
Participation in Durham Region’s Smart Home Device initiative – communications about
municipal elections could be obtained through a smart home device.
Clarington Staff corporate email signatures included Election information and the
Election logo – beginning in early July
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Booths at Community Events – Clerk’s Division Staff attended the:
o Clarington Farmers’ Market on four separate weekends,
o Newcastle Harvest Festival, and
o Apple Festival and Craft Sale
A Candidate Information Session was held in August, which was advertised Durham
wide.
Clarington held an internet / telephone voting demonstration night with Clarington’s
vendor Simply Voting on June 8, 2022.
Revision Days were held at each of the Special Voting Locations, along with one at
Wilmot Creek and the Older Adults Fall lunch at the Courtice Community Complex.
Mock Elections were held at the:
o Beech Centre during a Bowmanville Older Adults Association lunch,
o Courtice Community Complex during an Older Adults lunch, and
o Wheelhouse at Wilmot Creek.
2.7 Further to the communications activities described above, everyone on the Voters’
List was sent a Voter Information Letter through the mail, which included information
on how to vote, how to get assistance and the list of Election Assistance Centres.
2.8 A dedicated election phone line and email were also established and was available
for extended hours during the voting period.
Survey Results
2.9 Clarington’s Election Team also conducted a survey (available online and in paper
form at the EACs) to gauge the voter experience with the internet / telephone voting
system. Lots of feedback was received that was very positive.
2.10 2,859 people responded to the survey with 2,850 responding that they voted online,
3 responded via telephone and 6 responded that they didn’t vote.
2.11 85% or respondents liked how easy, fast, and convenient the voting process was,
with 5% responding that they didn’t like anything about the process.
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2.12 82% of respondents stated that they did not receive any assistance during the voting
process, 8% responding that they received the information they needed from the
Clarington Elections website.
2.13 80% of respondents heard about the Clarington online election via the Voter
Information Letter.
2.14 84% of respondents stated that they are very likely to vote online or by telephone in
future elections, with 4% responding that they are very unlikely.
2.15 The final question asked if respondents had any other comments , or concerns,
about the voting process. These comments varied wildly from people requesting a
paper ballot, not trusting online voting or concerned about the security and privacy of
online voting, to people expressing how much they loved it, how easy it was and
requesting that online voting be an option in every election.
2.16 Some comments expressed concerns about the ability for senior citizens to vote. At
the Election Assistance Centres, some senior citizens came in a little nervous,
having not participated in online voting before, but almost every one left expressing
how easy the system was. Election Officials also attend ed Special Voting Locations
where senior citizens live and an EAC was also setup at Wilmot Creek. One senior
citizen commented that “it was just like signing up for a recreation program.”
2.17 There were also comments that advertising and promotion was not sufficient and
people had no idea you could vote online. With the number and varying methods of
advertising that was undertaken (as described in section 2.6 above), the election
team is unsure of what other advertising that could have been done.
2.18 Some commented that they would like to be able to vote in person, but the EACs
were available, and setup, for people to vote in person.
2.19 Some respondents described their specific circumstances related to the accessibility
of the voting process. Here is a sample:
“Soooo thankful for this opportunity online!!!! Had planned to vote in person – but
unexpected demands filled my day. Couldn’t have done it any other way and wou ld
have been sooo disappointed as I believe in my right/duty to vote. Thank you!”
“Thank you. This service is fantastic and much appreciated as I am elderly and have
mobility issues.”
“I am a senior with mobility issues and this made it so much easier for me.”
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“Thank you for moving this online. As a mom who works full time and had a sick toddler
and was sick myself on voting day, I’m sure I wouldn’t have made it in person to vote.
This allowed me to vote online and double check my research on candidates bef ore
casting a vote. I loved it! Thanks for making this happen.”
“I prefer to vote in person, because it is nice to see other members of the community at
our rural community centre. I also like to bring my children (one who is now old enough
to vote himself) to create a sense of excitement about voting. However, due to a family
hospitalization, I was glad to have the option to vote online today. In future though, I will
resume voting in person.”
“This was very easy for a mom with a new baby and toddler, I wa s able to vote and not
worry about figuring out how to corral my children to wait in line with Mom so she could
participate in the election.”
“Voting was so easy, I have a computer and iPad. I keep up with the technology even
though I’m a senior. Love to learn keeps my brain functioning. Keep up this good work
online, as I cannot walk as good as I used to.”
“This was a great addition to the voting process. I really appreciated being able to vote
online and also my 90-year mother was able to participate with the help of a family
member to log her into the site. Without this ability, it would have been very difficult
getting her out to the voting location due to covid and her medical issues. Awesome job
Clarington!”
“My husband is disabled, and it was so much easier to voter this way. Not having to
drive there, get him in his wheelchair, hope it is accessible! and deal with bad weather is
much easier and I wish we could vote this way always! Also being older and having
other physical problems is also sometimes difficult to get out.”
“I am a senior citizen (age 70) and this process was one of the easiest websites I had to
maneuver through. A super great idea to continue this way of voting.”
“As someone who is housebound due to medical disability this was wonderful.”
“Online voting is fantastic! Thank you, Clarington!!! I hope it encourages more votes
being cast – it can’t get any more convenient and accessible than this. I am disabled
and so grateful for truly barrier-free voting.”
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Report LGS-004-23
3. Financial Consideration
Not Applicable.
4. Concurrence
Not Applicable.
5. Conclusion
We are confident that the accessibility initiatives undertaken by the Clerk’s Division for
Clarington’s 2022 Municipal Elections met, and exceeded, the needs within our
community. Staff will continue to monitor the technologies and processes of conducting
elections and will continue to receive feedback from our voters, to ensure that our 2026
Municipal Elections process will ensure dignity, integration, independence, and fairness,
and provide an equal opportunity for all of Clarington’s voters.
Staff Contact: John Paul Newman, Deputy Clerk, 905-623-3379 ext. 2103 or
jnewman@clarington.net.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 – Various Advertisements
Attachment 2 – 2022 Final Tax Bill Insert – Page 1
Interested Parties:
The following interested parties will be notified of Council's decision:
Clarington Accessibility Advisory Committee
Municipality of Clarington Page 14
Report LGS-004-23
Attachment 1 to Report LGS-004-23
Various Advertisements
Metroland Takeover
Municipality of Clarington Page 15
Report LGS-004-23
Bus Shelter Advertisement
Municipality of Clarington Page 16
Report LGS-004-23
On-street Billboards
Paying your Taxes:
Pre -Authorized Payment Plan Types
Monthly Plan: Payments are withdrawn
RTSYMTSYMJWrJ FH M RTSYMZR
December to November.
Instalment Plan: Instalment amounts are
withdrawn from your account on the due
dates.
Supplementary Plan: A monthly plan to
prepare for supplementary taxes on newly -
constructed homes.
Arrears Plan: A monthly payment
arrangement plan. Penalty and interest
charges will apply.
Through your Bank
RRRRTM
institutions, including online and telephone
banking.
Your account number is the 15 -digit roll
number shown on your tax bill.
Mortgage Company
If your mortgage company is responsible
for paying your taxes and is correctly
indicated on your tax bill, this tax bill is for
your records only.
If your mortgage company is responsible
for paying your taxes and is not indicated
on your tax bill, contact them immediately.
In Person
Taxes may be paid at the Municipal
Administrative Centre.
40 Temperance Street, Bowmanville.
Interac/Debit, cheque or cash are accepted.
An accessible entrance and a 24-hour drop
box is available from Church Street.
By Mail
Send cheque(s) and your bill payment stub
to Municipality of Clarington,
40 Temperance Street, Bowmanville,
ON L1 C 3A6.
Post-dated cheques are accepted.
To obtain this information in an alternate format,
please contact the Accessibility Coordinator
at 905-623-3379 ext. 2131, TTY: 1-844- 790-1599
2022
Final Tax Bill
Clarbgton
tax@clarington.net
905-623-3379 ext. 2650
www.clarington.net/taxes
Attachment 2 - Report LGS-