Midland is addressing concerns regarding the potential for voter fraud in the upcoming municipal election.
Midland resident Keith Sherman wrote MidlandToday over his concerns that the electronic voting system that Midland has introduced appears “flawed and open to corruption.”
Sherman said that in-person voting with ID screening is more secure and would avoid this potential problem.
The problem, according to Sherman, revolves around voter cards currently being mailed to residents across North Simcoe. The Midland card includes a personal identification number (PIN) to assist with voting.
But clerk Sherri Edgar said the town is aware of the concerns and wants to ensure residents that there’s no threat to the security of the process.
“The voters’ list is compiled by MPAC for use by municipal clerks,” said Edgar, who has spoken with Sherman about the issue.
“It is possible that individuals who have moved and not changed their voting registration may get multiple cards, however, they will only be able to vote once.”
Edgar pointed out that council earlier supported the change “as this has been tried and tested in many jurisdictions and offers accessible advantages” to people unable to attend a traditional polling station.
One additional question stemming from Sherman involved the potential that a person could cast a vote for someone who no longer resides or currently isn't residing at the home such as a child away at university.
“To our surprise, we also received the same notices for our son and daughter with their PINs for the Midland election,” said Sherman, who has lived in Midland for nearly 30 years.
“They have not resided with us in Midland for several years and this has never happened before. They have confirmed that they are registered to vote in their respective municipalities for the upcoming election.”
But Edgar said that if someone were to receive a voter instruction letter (VIL) for someone who no longer resides at that address, they should either indicate ‘return to sender’ on the envelope or drop the envelope off at the municipal office.
“Clerk’s staff have a process in place to deal with returned VILs,” Edgar said. “Also, voters should be aware that it is a criminal offence to open someone else’s mail and/or to vote in place of someone else.”
