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Georgian Bluffs is ditching paper ballots in the next municipal election.
Township council approved a recommendation during Wednesday’s committee of the whole meeting to use only internet and telephone voting for the next election. Voter help centres would be set up around the township as well for people to attend in-person for assistance.
Municipal elections in Ontario are due to be held in October 2026.
Georgian Bluffs used a combination of paper ballots, internet and telephone voting in the last municipal election in 2022.
But a staff report says the various voting methods did not increase turnout. Just over 35 per cent of those eligible cast a ballot in the 2022 municipal election, down slightly from 36.7 per cent in 2018.
Internet voting was by far the most popular method among Georgian Bluffs residents in the 2022 election. Sixty-five per cent of people submitted their ballots via the internet.
Georgian Bluffs’ decision to ditch paper aligns it with all other Grey County municipalities which have decided on a voting method for 2026. Owen Sound, Chatsworth, The Blue Mountains, Hanover, Southgate, West Grey and Grey Highlands are all using some combination of internet and telephone voting, and no paper ballots. Meaford hasn’t finalized its plans yet.