Meaford voters will cast their ballots by phone or internet in next year’s municipal election which will be held on October 26, 2026.
During their April 28 committee of the whole meeting, Council supported a recommendation to authorize the use of internet and telephone voting for the 2026 municipal and school board election.
“Staff recommend internet and telephone voting for the 2026 Municipal & School Board election. Internet and telephone voting together were used in the Municipality’s 2014 and 2018 election cycle,” staff told council in their report.
The report explained that, as happened in the 2014 and 2018 municipal elections, a letter containing voter credentials is mailed to each eligible elector who then has the choice to cast their ballot either through the online website or over the phone voting system.
Voter participation in 2014 was 50.09 percent, and in 2018 was 43.84 percent using the telephone and internet voting methods.
In the last municipal election, held in 2022, the municipality used in person and mail-in ballots. Of 10,595 eligible electors, a total of 515 registered to vote by mail in that election, which saw just a 36.77 percent participation rate, though staff noted in their report to council that Meaford’s voter turnout in 2022, while low, was still slightly higher than the province wide turnout of 36.3 percent.
“Having administered the 2022 Municipal & School Board election with this method with success, staff still recommend Internet & Telephone Voting. This is largely due to the labour intensive focus and time consuming nature of ballot administration and counting,” staff told council in their report.
Staff also noted in their report that virtually all the municipalities in Grey County have selected either internet only or internet and telephone as their voting methods for next year’s municipal election.
“It should be noted that some municipalities are offering an Internet Only Voting method. Staff would recommend this option but recognize there may be some willingness to offer a second method for voters not comfortable with the internet. However, should Council wish, Internet Only could be considered as an alternative to internet and telephone voting,” staff advised council.
As was highlighted in the staff report to council, the combination of internet and telephone voting offers the most flexible and accessible methods for voting by all residents, including seasonal residents, and it allows voters to cast their ballots at their own convenience from wherever they happen to be. Additionally, results are provided quickly once the voting period has ended.
