McGuinty Government Proposes New Amendments to Bill 231 to Soften its Ban on Network-Connected Accessible Voting Technology Like Telephone Voting and Internet Voting

April 20, 2010

Late in the day on Tuesday, April 20, 2010, on the eve of the resumption of clause-by-clause debates on Bill 231 by the Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly, the McGuinty Government proposed new amendments. These deal with the very issue on which we have been vigourously campaigning over the recent days and weeks, namely the bill’s proposed ban on network-connected accessible voting technology like telephone voting and internet voting.

Under the Elections Act, it is open to Elections Ontario to test out any new voting technology such as telephone or internet voting in a by-election. As
originally proposed, however, bill 231 would forbid the use of any network-connected voting technology in a general election. We have advocated for that
ban to be lifted, because measures like telephone voting and internet voting would be an economical way to make voting more accessible for many voters
with disabilities.